Bascum History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Bascum is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bascum family lived in Boscombe, Wiltshire where one reference from 1273 suggests that "Boscumbe" may have derived from the Old English words meaning a 'valley overgrown with spiky plants.' Today Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset and includes Boscombe Manor, built by Phillip Norris in 1801. "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" was one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first published in the Strand Magazine in 1891.

Early Origins of the Bascum family

The surname Bascum was first found in Wiltshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were conjecturally descended from Edward a tenant of William d'Eu as shown in the Domesday Book taken in 1086 by William Duke of Normandy showing the lands granted by the king to his nobles.

Early History of the Bascum family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bascum research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1600 and 1975 are included under the topic Early Bascum History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bascum Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Bascum, Bascomb, Bascome, Bascombe, Bascom, Baskomb, Boscomb and many more.

Early Notables of the Bascum family

More information is included under the topic Early Bascum Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bascum family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Bascum name or one of its variants: Thomas Baskom who settled in Nantasket, Massachusetts in 1630; George Bascomb settled in Somers Island in 1673; B. Bascomb arrived in Portland, Maine, in 1821.

The Bascum Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Forti et fideli nihil difficile
Motto Translation: Nothing is difficult to the brave and the faithful.