Battes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Battes is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the given name Bartholomew, of which it is a diminutive form. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Battes family

The surname Battes was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066. One of the first notables of the family was Henry Bate or Hendrik Baten (of Mechelen or of Malines) (1246- c.1310) a Flemish philosopher, theologian, astronomer, astrologer, poet, and musician.

The more common plural version of today, "Bates" is rather recent. Frequently used in the singular form as both a forename and surname, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following, all in Lincolnshire: Bate de Butwick; Bate le Tackman; and Bathe filius Robert. Further to the north in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Alicia Bate; and Adam Bate. 4

Again in Yorkshire, we found two entries for the name Bate (no first name), one in 1275 and the other in 1286. 5

Other early rolls note Rogerus filius Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327; Roger Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; and Richard Bates in Yorkshire in 1297. Thomas del Bate was found in Northumberland in 1270 and William of Ye Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297. For these last two entires, the name may be derived from the Northern Middle English word "bat," meaning "boat," used for a boatman. 5

"This surname has two principal centres, one in the counties of Leicester, Rutland, and Warwick, and the other in Kent. Prom these centres it has extended to the adjoining counties; but it is essentially a midland and eastern county name. In other parts of England its place is supplied by other forms of the name, or by other derivatives of Bartholomew. Thus, in Cornwall we find Bate, in Dorset and adjacent counties we have numbers of Bartletts, in Yorkshire Batty, in Northumberland Batey, in Oxon Batts, in Notts Bartle, etc. The original name of Bartholomew is now mostly found in the counties of Kent and Lincoln; but in its numerous derivative forms it is scattered over the land." 6

Early History of the Battes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Battes research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1415, 1429, 1580, 1599, 1608, 1620, 1625, 1626, 1668, 1682, 1699, 1700, 1877 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Battes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Battes Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Battes has undergone many spelling variations, including Bates, Batts, Bats, Bate, Bateson, Baits, Baites, Baytes and many more.

Early Notables of the Battes family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Bate (died 1429), an English or Welsh theologian and philosopher. He is thought to have been born west of the River Severn, but was probably brought up in the Carmelite monastery at York. He was ordained sub-deacon and deacon in March and May 1415 by Clifford, Bishop of London. 7William Bates (1625-1699) was an English Presbyterian minister from London, Royal Chaplain to Charles II; and George...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Battes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Battes family to Ireland

Some of the Battes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Battes migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Battes were among those contributors:

Battes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Battes, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 8

Battes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jak, II Battes, who landed in America in 1857 8

The Battes 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: Et manu et corde
Motto Translation: Both with hand and heart.

Citations +

Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)