Show ContentsBucklant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Bucklant is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in one of the various places called Buckland in the counties of Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Somerset and Surrey. 1 2 The place-name is derived from the word laund, which referred to a space in the open woods where the deer grazed.

Early Origins of the Bucklant family

The surname Bucklant was first found in Buckingham at a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district. This reference is by far the oldest but others include: Buckland, Kent a village near Dover; Buckland, Gloucestershire, a village and civil parish in the borough of Tewkesbury; Buckland, Hereford, a village and is part of Buckland and Chipping civil parish in East Hertfordshire; Buckland, Surrey a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district; and others.

One of the first records of the family was Hugh de Bocland or Hugh of Buckland (d. 1119?), Sheriff of Berkshire and several other counties, who "received his surname from the manor of Buckland, near Faringdon, of which he was tenant under the monastery of Abingdon. He was held in great esteem by Henry I, and that he was sheriff of eight counties. Six of these the evidence of charters enables us to identify, viz. Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, and Middlesex. " 3

Geoffrey de Bocland (fl. 1195-1224), was an English justice who was both a lawyer and a churchman. He was a justiciar in the years 1195-1197, 1201-1204, and in 1218. "As early as the beginning of [King] John's reign he was connected with the exchequer, and as late as 1220 he was a justice itinerant in the county of Hereford. " 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed the scattered entries and various early spellings: John de Bocklonde, Oxfordshire; Nicholas de Bocland, Kent; William de Boclond, Bedfordshire; and Phillip de Boclaund, Hertfordshire. 4 In Devon, John Bokeland was Warden of St Mary's College, Ottery St Mary in 1399.

Early History of the Bucklant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bucklant research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1564, 1611, 1648, 1695, 1710, 1747 and 1765 are included under the topic Early Bucklant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bucklant Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Bucklant has been spelled many different ways, including Buckland, Bucland, Bucklin and others.

Early Notables of the Bucklant family

Distinguished members of the family include Ralph Buckland (1564-1611), an English Catholic divine, born in 1564, the son of Edmund Buckland, who was descended from an ancient family living at West Harptree, Somersetshire. 3Maurice Bocland or Bockland (1648-1710)...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bucklant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bucklant family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Bucklants to arrive in North America: Christopher Buckland who settled in Barbados in 1635; John Buckland settled in Virginia in 1637; Richard Buckland settled in Virginia in 1645; Walter Buckland settled in New England in 1759.



  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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