Coourson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Coourson is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Coourson family lived in Derbyshire. The family originally lived in Notre Dame de Curson in Calvados, Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Coourson family

The surname Coourson was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Curzon. Geraldine (Giraline) arrived in England with William the Conqueror in 1066 A.D., and attended him at Hastings. Giraline de Curson, Lord of Locking, in Berkshire, occurs amongst the most munificent benefactors to the Abbey of Abingdon. From him descended the Curzons of Croxhall. 1

Geraldine came from Notre Dame de Curson in Calvados in Normandy. By 1086, the taking of the Domesday Book survey, his son Hubert had also acquired the lands of West Lockinge in Berkshire. The family also continued in Normandy and Hubert was the Lord of Curson in 1223. 2

Robert of Courson or Courçon (also written de Curson, or Curzon) (c. 1160/1170 - 1219) was an English-born, scholar at the University of Paris and later a cardinal and papal legate.

"The Cursons of Dereham bear one of the oldest of Norfolk names. The ancient family of this name held large estates in the county from the 13th to the 15th century." 3

Kedleston Hall in Kedleston, Derbyshire is one of the most well known family seats the Curzon family who have held the estate since 1297. Today it is a National Trust property. "The large and elegant mansion of Farnah Hall [in Duffield, Derbyshire], a seat of the Curzon family, stands in a fine park, near the Wirksworth road." 4

Robert Curson, De Courcon, De Corcrone or De Curchun (d. 1218), was an early English Cardinal, "born at Kedleston in Derbyshire, was a member of a noble family. He is said to have studied at Oxford, and certainly did so at Paris, where he became a scholar of some eminence, and from Paris went to Rome." 5

Early History of the Coourson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coourson research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1599, 1609, 1611, 1640, 1648, 1657, 1678, 1682, 1686, 1687, 1727, 1750 and 1765 are included under the topic Early Coourson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coourson Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Curzon, Curson, Cursone, Courson, Courzon and others.

Early Notables of the Coourson family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Curzon of Kedleston Hall, High Sheriff of Derbyshire (1609); and his son, Sir John Curzon, 1st Baronet (c.1599-1686), an English politician, Member of Parliament for...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coourson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Coourson family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Coourson or a variant listed above were: Pierre Courson who settled in Louisiana in 1719.

The Coourson 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: Let Curzon holde what Curzon helde
Motto Translation: Let Curzon hold what Curzon held

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print