The Atlantic Ocean to the north and west and the English Channel to the south borders
Cornwall, the homeland to the Arscott family name. Even though the usage of surnames was common during the Middle Ages, all English people were known only by a single name in early times. The manner in which
hereditary surnames arose is interesting.
Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. The Arscott family originally lived in
Arscott, in
Devon.
Habitation names form a broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other
local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.
Early Origins of the Arscott family
The surname Arscott was first found in
Cornwall and
Devon, where they held a
family seat from ancient times, long before the
Norman Conquest in 1066.
Early History of the Arscott family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arscott research.
Another 163 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Arscott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Arscott 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 Arscot, Ascot, Arscott, Ascott, Asscot, Asscott and others.
Early Notables of the Arscott family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Arscott Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Arscott family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Arscott Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Edward Arscott, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Glendevon" in 1864
- Edward Arscott, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Talbot" in 1864
Contemporary Notables of the name Arscott (post 1700)
- Robert Arscott (b. 1952), English professional footballer
- Tom Arscott (b. 1987), English rugby union player
- Felix Medland Arscott (1922-1996), British mathematician
- Luke Arscott (b. 1984), British rugby union player