Rasbottown History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Rasbottown come from when the family resided in the region of Romsbottom in the county of Lancashire. Rasbottown is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Rasbottown family

The surname Rasbottown was first found in Lancashire in the parish of Bury at Romsbottom (now known as Ramsbottom). Today it is a market town in Greater Manchester but anciently the town was known as Romesbothum in 1324. 1 Literally the place name means "valley of the ream, or where wild garlic grows from the Old English "ramm" or "hramsa" + "bothm." 1

Early History of the Rasbottown family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rasbottown research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rasbottown History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rasbottown Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Rasbottown has been recorded under many different variations, including Ramsbottom, Ramsbotham, Rasbottom and others.

Early Notables of the Rasbottown family

More information is included under the topic Early Rasbottown Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rasbottown family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Rasbottown or a variant listed above: Joseph, Mark and Thomas Ramsbottom arrived in Philadelphia between 1856 and 1868; John Ramsbotten settled in Virginia in 1698.

The Rasbottown 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: Non vi, sed virtute
Motto Translation: Not by force, but by virtue

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)