Cousens History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The history of the name Cousens goes back, perhaps as far as 1066, when the Norman Conquest of England occurred. Soon after this event, the name would have been given to a person who was related to someone of note in the area. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old French, cusin, and the Old English, cousin, which means relative. 1
Early Origins of the Cousens family
The surname Cousens was first found in Norfolk and in the southern counties of England, where the first on record appears to be Roger Cusin, listed in the Pipe Rolls in that county in 1166. Robert Cusyn and his wife Joan were landowners in Ellisfield, Hampshire during the Reign of Henry III (1216-1272). Peter Cusin was a sheriff of London in 1273. A Galfridus Cusyn of Hardingham, Norfolk is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for that county in 1327. 2
The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Johannes Cosyn, tiropour; Ricardus Cosyn; and Alicia Cosyn, 1379. 2
Early History of the Cousens family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cousens research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1535, 1541, 1547, 1549, 1558, 1585, 1594, 1597, 1672, 1697, 1743 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cousens History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cousens Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was institutionalized a couple of hundred years back, spelling varieties of names were a typical event. Components of Latin, Norman French and different dialects ended up noticeably fused into English all through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the proficient. The varieties of the surname Cousens include Cousin, Cousins, Cozens, Cossins, Couzins, Cossens, Cosin, Cosyns, Cousens, Couzens, Cossins, Cosin and many more.
Early Notables of the Cousens family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edmund Cosin, Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University in 1558. He was "a native of Bedfordshire, entered King's Hall, Cambridge, as a bible clerk; proceeded B.A. early in 1535, M.A. in 1541, and B.D. in 1547." 3
Benjamin Cosyn, probably a son of John Cosyn, who in 1585 published sixty psalms in six parts in plain counterpoint. He was eminent as a composer of lessons for virginals. Many of his pieces are extant. He flourished in the first half of the 17th century.
John Cosin (1594-1672), was an English churchman...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cousens Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Cousens family to Ireland
Some of the Cousens family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cousens migration to the United States +
In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Cousenss to arrive on North American shores:
Cousens Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- James Cousens, who landed in Virginia in 1637 4
- John Cousens, who arrived in Delaware in 1673 4
Cousens Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Tho Cousens, who landed in Virginia in 1701 4
Cousens migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Cousens Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Mrs. Catherine Cousens, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Colonist" departing from the port of New, Ross but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 5
- Mrs. Margaret Cousens, aged 57 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Virginius" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 5
Cousens migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Cousens Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. William Cousens, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the ""Blenheim"" on 24th July 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, Australia 6
Contemporary Notables of the name Cousens (post 1700) +
- Mendel Cousens, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 1st District, 1932 7
- Leon A. Cousens, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 5th District, 1950 7
- John Cousens, American politician, U.S. Collector of Customs, 1854 7
- George E. Cousens, American politician, U.S. Collector of Customs, 1909 7
- Ellis E. Cousens (b. 1952), American businessman, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of John Wiley & Sons, Inc since 2001
- John Albert Cousens (1874-1937), American Universalist businessman and educator, 6th President of Tufts College (1919-1937)
- Kenneth Gabriel Cousens (b. 1943), American physician, homeopath, and spiritual writer who practices holistic medicine, founder of the "Essene Order of Light"
- Peter Cousens (b. 1932), South African-born, former English cricketer who played from 1950 through 1955
- W. Donald "Don" Cousens (1938-2017), Canadian politician, Mayor of Markham, Ontario (1994-2006)
- Lionel Cousens, Australian silver medalist Paralympic archer at the 1964 Tokyo Games
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
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)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 22)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html