Contents [hide]

Gosling History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Gosling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Gosling is a name that came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066. Gosling comes from the Germanic given name Gozzelin, which is a diminutive that translates as the little god. The surname Gosling was formed in the vernacular or regional naming tradition, which is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Vernacular names were widespread throughout Normandy. Accordingly, many typical English and French names are in fact, originally of Germanic origin and often have cognates in other European countries.

Early Origins of the Gosling family

The surname Gosling was first found in Jersey where the earliest on record was Robert Gosselin who was made Governor of the fortress of Mont Orgueil after saving the fort from the French.

However, Cheshire may be an early origin of the family too, as Henry Goseling was listed there in the Assize Rolls for 1260. Years later, Robert Goseling and Maud Gosselyng were both listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cheshire in 1327. "Gosling is, no doubt, often a late development of Goslin." 1

"A family of Norman origin who have long resided in Guernsey. They claim descent from Robert Gosselin, who for eminent services in the rescue of Mont Orgueil from the French in 1339, is said to have been made governor of that fortress, and to have received from Edward III. a grant of the arms now borne by his descendants." 2

Early History of the Gosling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gosling research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1229, 1529, 1566, 1603, 1614, 1619, 1621, 1626, 1632, 1678, 1679, 1693, 1696, 1704, 1733, 1758 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Gosling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gosling Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Gosling were recorded, including Gosselin, Goselin, Goselyn, Goslin, Gosline, Gosling, Gosslyn, Gossling, Gosselyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Gosling family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Ralph Gosling (1693-1758), was an English topographer, youngest son of Charles Gosling, yeoman, of Stubley, in the parish of Dronfield in Derbyshire and was baptised in the parish church on 15 July 16...

Migration of the Gosling family to Ireland

Some of the Gosling family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gosling migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Gosling arrived in North America very early:

Gosling Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon Gosling, who landed in Virginia in 1643 3
Thomas Gosling, who arrived in Maryland in 1654 3
Mathew Gosling, who landed in Maryland in 1655 3
Elizabeth Gosling, who arrived in Maryland in 1658 3
William Gosling, who landed in Virginia in 1664-1665 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gosling Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Gosling, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1834 3
C Gosling, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
Charles Gosling, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1854 3

Gosling migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gosling Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

N.C.O. James Gosling U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the 74th Highlanders 4

Gosling migration to Australia +

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

Gosling Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Gosling, (Bear), English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Joseph Gosling, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. David Gosling who was convicted in Derby, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island 7
Mr. Thomas Gosling, English convict who was convicted in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 8

Gosling migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gosling Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Gosling, (b. 1820), aged 30, British agricultural blacksmith travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850, he died in 1879 9
Mrs. Lucy Gosling, (b. 1820), aged 30, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850, she died in 1890 9
Mr. Charles Gosling, (b. 1844), aged 6, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 9
Miss Mary Gosling, (b. 1845), aged 5, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 9
Mr. William Gosling, (b. 1847), aged 3, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850, he died in 1879 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gosling migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Gosling Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Tho Gosling, aged 22, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 3
Mr. Thomas Gosling, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Gosling (post 1700) +

Leslie Cyril Gosling (1920-1943), Leslie Cyril Gosling, Canadian fighter pilot, during World War II, credited with 10 aerial victories, Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Bar
James A. Gosling OC (b. 1955), Canadian computer scientist, best known as the father of the Java programming language
Ryan Thomas Gosling (b. 1980), Canadian Golden Globe Award winning actor and musician, a former child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club
Paula Gosling (b. 1939), American crime writer
Michael "Mike" Frederick Gosling (b. 1980), American retired left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher
Raymond Gosling (1926-2015), English scientist, co-discoverer of the Double Helix DNA structure
William W. Gosling (1824-1883), Victorian landscape painter
Major William Gosling VC (1892-1945), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
Mick Gosling (b. 1972), Britain's Strongest Man champion in 2005
Richard Gosling (b. 1974), Britain's Strongest Man champion in 2003
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gosling family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Ms. Violet Iris Gosling (1919-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Opotiki, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 12

HMS Repulse

Mr. Thomas Henry Gosling (b. 1917), English Stoker 1st Class from Tonge Moor, Bolton, Lancashire, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 13

RMS Titanic

Mr. Bertram James Gosling (d. 1912), aged 22, English Trimmer from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 14
Mr. S. Gosling (d. 1912), aged 26, English Trimmer from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 14

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-malcolm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html