Casson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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England

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The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Casson family name to the British Isles. Casson comes from de Cassagne, the name of the House of the Lords of Montagu, who were a family of distinction from the province of Bearne, France. 1

Early Origins of the Casson family

The surname Casson was first found in Hampshire, where a Ralph Cattessone was on record in 1115. Other early records include Robert Casseson in 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire, John Catessone, on record in the Feet of Fines of Suffolk in 1366, and William Casson in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1601. 2

Early History of the Casson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Casson research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1789, 1815, 1820, 1821, 1829 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Casson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Casson Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Cassan, Cassane, Casson and others.

Early Notables of the Casson family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Stephen Hyde Cassan (1789-1841), English ecclesiastical biographer, son of Stephen Cassan, barrister, by his wife Sarah, daughter of Charles Mears, born in 1789 at Calcutta, where his father was sheriff. He was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and took his B.A. degree on 14 Jan. 1815. He received deacon's orders on 26 March following, and was ordained priest the next year. While curate of Frome...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Casson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Casson Ranking

In the United States, the name Casson is the 11,905^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Casson family to Ireland

Some of the Casson 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.

Casson migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Casson or a variant listed above:

Casson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Tho Casson, who landed in Virginia in 1635 4
Ann Casson, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 4

Casson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Casson, who landed in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1848 4
S P Casson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
John Casson, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1865 4
A. Casson, aged 17, who arrived in America from Kent, England, in 1892
Ellen Casson, aged 40, who arrived in America from Liverpool, England, in 1892
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Casson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Samuel Casson, aged 21, who arrived in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1901
Daniel Casson, aged 45, who arrived in America from Manchester, England, in 1902
Dorothy Casson, aged 6, who arrived in America from Manchester, England, in 1903
E. Casson, aged 20, who arrived in America from London, England, in 1903
Edith Casson, aged 30, who arrived in America from Manchester, England, in 1903
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Casson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Casson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Casson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1807

Casson Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Norah Casson, aged 27, who arrived in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1910
William Casson, aged 16, who arrived in Thorold, Ontario, Canada, in 1921
William Robert Casson, aged 54, who arrived in Thorold, Ontario, Canada, in 1921
Eleanor Casson, aged 14, who arrived in Thorold, Ontario, Canada, in 1921
Jane Casson, aged 52, who arrived in Thorold, Ontario, Canada, in 1921

Casson migration to Australia +

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

Casson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Casson, English convict who was convicted in Cumbria (Cumberland), England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
William Casson, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 6
Jonathan Casson (aged 23), a mason, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Eliza"

Casson 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. 7

Casson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Casson, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling aboard the ship "The Dorset" arriving in Barbados in September 1635 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Casson (post 1700) +

Henry Casson, American politician, Secretary of State of Wisconsin (1895-1899)
Mel Casson (1920-2008), American cartoonist, known for his daily comic strips Sparky, Angel, Mixed Singles/Boomer and Redeye
Andrew John Casson FRS (b. 1943), American mathematician, an expert on geometric topology, Philip Schuyler Beebe Professor of Mathematics at Yale University, awarded the Oswald Veblen Prize in Geometry in 1991; he developed the Cassan invariant and the Cassan handle
Lionel Casson (1914-2009), American classicist, professor emeritus at New York University, awarded the Archaeological Institute of America Gold Medal in 2005
John W. Casson, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Dover, Delaware, 1898-1903 9
Henry Casson, American Republican politician, Secretary of State of Wisconsin, 1895-99 9
Ann Casson (1915-1990), English stage and film actress, daughter of Sir Lewis Casson
Christopher Casson (1912-1996), English-born, Irish actor
Tom Casson (b. 1990), English rugby union player
Sir Lewis Casson MC (1875-1969), English actor-manager and producer, husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Casson 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: Prosequor alis
Motto Translation: I follow with speed.