Contents [hide]

Roscoe History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Roscoe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Roscoe history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Roscoe history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Roscoe family originally lived in Cornwall. Their name, however, derives from the Old Norse roscowe, meaning roe-buck-wood, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a stand of such timber.

Early Origins of the Roscoe family

The surname Roscoe was first found in Cornwall where they were Lords of the manor of Roscrowe. 1 There is some disagreement about the earliest reference of the name as one reference claims "I feel sure it is a Lancashire local surname, although I cannot find the spot." 2 This source continues on with the earliest record of Gilbert Roscoe, of Exton as recorded in the Wills at Chester in 1303. Continuing in the same register, he noted James Roscoe of Farnworth, in 1303 and James Roscow of Leigh in 1504. 2

Back in Cornwall, Roscrowe is an estate in the parish of Gluvias in Cornwall which was held by the family in the 14th century and became extinct during the time of Henry I. 1

"Roscrow, [in the parish of St. Gluvias] according to Hals, gave name to a family of gentlemen at a very early period, of whom it became and continued the seat, until the reign of Henry VI. when the family of Roscrow became extinct in the male line. According to Tonkin, Thomas Harry, who settled at this place, in the reign of Henry VIII. took the name of Roscrow, and in succeeding years his grandson sold the barton to Samuel Pendarves, Esq." 3

Early History of the Roscoe family

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

Roscoe Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Roscoe, Roscrowe, Roscrow, Rosecrowe, Roscow and others.

Early Notables of the Roscoe family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Doctor Thomas Roscoe of Middlesex

Roscoe Ranking

In the United States, the name Roscoe is the 6,385^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Roscoe migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Roscoe

Roscoe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William and Rebecca Roscoe who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635 with their children, Samuel, William, Sarah, and Mary

Roscoe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Miss Eliza Roscoe, (b. 1831), aged 9, English settler departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 5
Miss Ann Roscoe, (b. 1833), aged 7, English settler departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 5
Mr. W.J. Roscoe, (b. 1862), aged 30, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Adriatic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 16th July 1892 en route to New York, USA 6
Arthur Roscoe, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from England, in 1892
Baxter W. Roscoe, aged 23, who settled in America, in 1894
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roscoe Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles R. Roscoe, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Warrington, England, in 1909
Elizabeth Roscoe, aged 51, who landed in America from Oldham, England, in 1910
Adam Roscoe, aged 19, who landed in America from England, in 1910
Ethel Mary Roscoe, aged 32, who immigrated to America from Shepton Mallet, England, in 1913
George Edward Roscoe, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States from Shepton Mallet, England, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Roscoe migration to Australia +

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

Roscoe Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Roscoe, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. John Roscoe who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. John Roscoe, British convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Roscoe (post 1700) +

Will Roscoe (b. 1964), American scholar, author and activist
Theodore Roscoe (1906-1992), American writer
Alan Roscoe (1886-1933), American film actor
William Caldwell Roscoe (1823-1859), English poet and essayist, born at Liverpool, son of William Stanley Roscoe and grandson of William Roscoe
William Roscoe (1753-1831), English historian, born at the Old Bowling Green House, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool; his father owned an extensive market-garden, and kept the Bowling Green tavern
Thomas Roscoe (1791-1871), English author and translator, fifth son of William Roscoe, born at Toxteth Park, Liverpool
Henry Roscoe (1800-1836), English legal writer, youngest son of William Roscoe, born at Allerton Hall, near Liverpool
Martin Roscoe (b. 1952), English classical pianist
Henry Enfield Roscoe (1833-1915), English chemist and university vice-chancellor
Andy Roscoe, English footballer
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall