Gladstone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
In ancient Scotland, the first people to use Gladstone as a surname were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name someone who lived at Gledstanes in Lanarkshire. The place-name itself is derived from the Old English words glede, which means kite, and stan, which means stone. In this case the word kite applies in its original sense as a bird of prey of the hawk family that is distinguished by its forked tail. 1
Gladestone is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 2 3
Early Origins of the Gladstone family
The surname Gladstone was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland. "Herbert de Gledstan or Gledestane of the county of Lanark, who took the oath of fealty to Edward I in 1296 is the first of the name on record. William de Gledstanes witnessed a charter by Roger de Auldton, c. 1354, and Sir William of Gledstanes, probably the same person, was present at the battle of Poitiers in 1356. Andrew de Gledstan was a witness in Brechin in 1364, Andrew of Gledstanis was arrested in Norwich, England, in violation of the truce in 1396. " 4
The History of Liddesdale and the Debatable Land lists: Johannes Gledstanis de Wynitonhaw, 1497; Andrew Gledstanis in the same year; and Philp Gledstanis in 1541. Just over the English border in Yorkshire, William de Gledstanys,was listed in the Coddingham Priory (no date given.) 5
Early History of the Gladstone family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gladstone research. Another 186 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1364, 1396, 1454, 1480, 1488, 1533, 1534, 1560, 1565, 1574, 1576, 1580, 1590, 1592, 1595, 1615, 1617, 1632, 1635, 1638, 1668 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Gladstone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gladstone Spelling Variations
The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Gladstone has been spelled Gladstone, Gladston, Gledstone, Gledstanes and others.
Early Notables of the Gladstone family
Notable amongst the family at this time was John Gladstanes (d. 1574), Scottish advocate, "first mentioned on 21 Feb. 1533, at which date he was designated 'M. Johannes Gladstanes, licentiatus utroque jure.' In 1534 there was a James Gladstanes of Coklaw, an estate with a defensible tower in Roxburghshire, which had been possessed by the family for many previous generations. It is averred that John Gladstanes was a member of the Coklaw family, and his mother was a Fraser; but circumstances rather indicate the upper ward of Lanarkshire as the locality of his birth. " 6
George Gladstanes (d. 1615), was Archbishop...
Another 189 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gladstone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gladstone Ranking
In the United States, the name Gladstone is the 9,239th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7
Gladstone migration to the United States +
The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:
Gladstone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Andrew Gladstone, who arrived in Virginia in 1661 8
- John Gladstone, who landed in Maryland in 1680 8
Gladstone migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Gladstone Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Robert Gladstone, aged 48, a joiner, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Flora" 9
- Margaret Gladstone, aged 28, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Flora" 9
Gladstone 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:
Gladstone Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Miss Agnes Gladstone, (b. 1836), aged 28, Scottish domestic servant from Roxburghshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 22nd October 1864 10
- Edward Gladstone, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878
- Frances Gladstone, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878
- Hannah Gladstone, aged 11 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1878
Contemporary Notables of the name Gladstone (post 1700) +
- Louis I. Gladstone (1927-2016), American politician, Member of the Connecticut State Senate (1958), Comptroller of Connecticut from 1967 to 1970
- Sir John Gladstone (1764-1851), 1st Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, Scottish businessman and Member of Parliament, father of William Ewart Gladstone 11
- Sir Charles Angus Gladstone (b. 1964), 8th Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, Scottish peer
- Sir Charles Andrew Gladstone (1888-1968), 6th Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, Scottish peer
- Sir Albert Charles Gladstone MBE (b. 1886), 5th Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, Scottish peer
- Sir John Evelyn Gladstone (1855-1945), 4th Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, Scottish peer
- Sir John Robert Gladstone (1852-1926), 3rd Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, Scottish peer
- William Glynne Charles Gladstone (1885-1915), British Liberal Party politician
- Sir Thomas Gladstone (1804-1889), 2nd Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, elder brother of William Ewart Gladstone
- Sir Erskine William Gladstone (1925-2018), 7th Baronet of Fasque and Balfour, Scout Association notable, Chief Scout of the United Kingdom, 1972-1982, awarded the Bronze Wolf in 1985
- ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
The Gladstone 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: Fide et virtute
Motto Translation: By fidelity and valour.
Citations +
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- 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
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- South Australian Register Monday 9th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Flora 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/flora1855.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020