Espagne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Espagne family

The surname Espagne was first found in Somerset where Alfred d'Espagne was a great Norman Baron, brother of Roger Toeni, from Eespagne, Pont Audemer who was granted twenty lordships in Somerset. 1 The parish of Willingale-Spain "derives the adjunct to its name from the family of Hervey de Spain, to whom it belonged at the time of the Norman survey." 2

The name denotes "one who came from Spain, or who returned after having resided in Spain." 3

Exploring the Norman influence more, records there show, " De l'Espagne, from Espagne, near Pont-Audemer, Normandy, a baronial name. Walter de Hispania is mentioned 1080; and his sons Hervey and Alured de Ispania occur 1086 in England (Domesd.). The latter was a great Baron. From the former descended the Spains of Essex, who long continued to flourish." 1

The name "may have had several distinct origins, from as many early settlers. The Essex family of Hispaine, or Spayne, were descendants of Alured Hispaniensis, or De Ispania, who at the Domesday Survey was a tenant in chief in various counties. " 4

"Brismar [in Buckland parish, Devon] had also held, and William had succeeded to, the adjacent manors of Bickleigh and Sampford, now Sampford Spiney. The added name, in this latter case, is said to have been derived from its possession by the family of Spinet or De Spineto; but as the neighbouring parish of Shaugh takes its title from the Saxon sceacga, 'rough coppice,' it is quite as probable that the Spiney here may be simply the allied word spinney. " 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Michael de Ispania, Oxfordshire; John de Ispania, Huntingdonshire; and William de Spayne, Salop while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Roills of 1379 listed Willelmus del Spayn; and John de Spayn. 6

In Scotland, the name denotes, "a native of Spain. It may also be a descriptive name given to a Scot who had returned from a residence in Spain. Walterus nepos Willelmi de Spaine witnessed a charter of three acres of Karruderes (Carruthers) by Walter del Bois, II. d. (Raine, 166). William Spayne, servant to the king and queen of Scotland, 1424, is doubtless the William Spaigne of Scotland who had a safe conduct into England in 1426." 7

Early History of the Espagne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Espagne research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1591, 1620 and 1659 are included under the topic Early Espagne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Espagne Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Espaigne, Espayne, Espain, Espaine, Espinay, Espineto, Espiney, Epinay, Spineto, Espagne, Lespagnol, Lespagnou, Lespagneau, Lespagnol, Lepagneux and many more.

Early Notables of the Espagne family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Jean D'Espagne (1591-1659), French Protestant pastor and theologian, born in 1591 in the Dauphiné and was pastor at Orange in 1620, and then at the Hague...

Migration of the Espagne family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Espagne or a variant listed above: bearers of the name who came to North America from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Contemporary Notables of the name Espagne (post 1700) +

Jean-Louis-Brigitte Espagne, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 4) Jean-Louis-Brigitte Espagne. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html