Blacow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The roots of the Blacow surname reach back to the language of the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The Blacow surname comes from someone having lived in the counties of the Scottish/English Borderlands.

Early Origins of the Blacow family

The surname Blacow was first found in Cumberland at either Great Blencow or Little Blencow, townships in the parish of Greystock, union of Penrith, Leath ward. Of interest is this entry about Little Blencow: "Near an ancient house, once the residence of the Blencows, are some dispersed ruins of buildings, particularly those of a chapel, with a burial-ground adjoining; and near the road is an inclosed cemetery, in which stands a stone cross, with the arms of the family engraved on it." 1

One of the first records of the family was that of Adam de Blencowe who was awarded land by Edward III in 1358 and was "Standard Bearer to William, Baron of Greystoke." 2

It is thought that original family home was built in Great Blencow. The mansion of Ennim, just south of the village was the home for many years of the Blencow family. Blencowe Hall, just to the west of Little Blencow consists of two fortified pele towers joined by connecting buildings.

"The Blencowes of Oxfordshire are probably descended from the ancient family of the name that resided at Marston or Merston, Northamptonshire, for many generations, as far back as the reign of Henry VI.; to this family belonged Sir John Blencowe, a Judge of the Common Pleas." 3

Early History of the Blacow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blacow research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1625, 1640, 1642, 1656, 1683, 1701, 1712, 1718, 1720 and 1925 are included under the topic Early Blacow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blacow Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Blacow has been spelled Blencoe, Blencow, Blencowe, Blacoe, Blackow, Blacowe, Blenco, Blenko, Blencko, Blanco and many more.

Early Notables of the Blacow family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Henry Blencowe, High Sheriff of Cumberland in 1625; and Anne Blencowe, Lady Blencowe, née Wallis (1656-1718), an English compiler of recipes. It is generally thought that she developed an early version of what is now named a "stock cube" or "bouillon cube." She called her recipes "receipts" and were kept in the library of her daughter Susanna Jennens at Weston Hall. The house passed through the female line until the book was discovered by Georgia Sitwell who arranged for the book to be published in 1925...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blacow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blacow migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Blacow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Blacow, English convict who was convicted in Preston, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Blacow (post 1700) +

David Blacow, English former headmaster of Fairfield High School, Widnes, Cheshire from 1993 to 1998; he was responsible for the expansion of the school in 1994
Jon Blacow, English drummer for Earthling Society, a rock band from Fleetwood, England in January 2004
Adrian Blacow, also known by his stage name VHS Head, a British electronic musician
Richard Blacow MA (d. 1760), English prelate, Fellow of the Royal Society (1754-1760), Rector of Hartley Westpall (1757-1760), Canon of Windsor (1754-1760)

The Blacow 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: Quorsum vivere mori
Motto Translation: Wherefore live to die.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily