Show ContentsBaget History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Baget is an ancient name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of emigration that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The name comes from "the Carlovingian Counts of Artois, whose descendants were advocates of Arras, Lords of Bethune, and Castellans of St. Omer, and were amongst the greatest nobles of Flanders." [1]

Early Origins of the Baget family

The surname Baget was first found in Staffordshire and Warwickshire, where early records show Bago, or Bagod de Arras in 1075 witnessing a charter in Flanders and show he came to England shortly after the Conquest. Bago of Bagod d'Artas held Bromley in Staffordshire in 1086. [2] A few years later, Rodbert Bagod witnessed a charter of Geva, founding Canwell Priory c. 1140. "A most ancient family, also coeval with the Conquest, descended from Bagod, who at the time of the compilation of the Domesday Book held Bromley of Robert de Stadford or Stafford." [3]

Sir Robert Bagod (died 1299) was an Irish judge appointed the first Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas in 1276. He built Baggotrath Castle in Dublin, but sadly no traces of the castle survive today. Born in Dublin, the son of Ralph Bagod; the Bagod family had come to Ireland in the 1170s with Strongbow. His son, Sir Robert Bagod (died after 1329) was an Irish judge, Crown servant and military commander in fourteenth-century Ireland.

Sir William Bagot (fl. 1397), was minister of Richard II, who appears early in his reign with Sir John Bussy and Sir Thomas Green as a member of his council. [4]

Blithfield in Staffordshire was an ancient family seat. "The Bagot family, of great eminence and antiquity, possessed this and the adjoining estate of Bagot's-Bromley, at the time of the Domesday Survey. In 1195 Hervey Bagot married the heiress of Baron Stafford; his son assumed the surname and title of Stafford, and became progenitor to the succeeding barons and earls of Stafford, and dukes of Buckingham. Of that branch of the family resident at Blithfield and Bromley, was Sir John Bagot, Knt., ancestor of Hervey Bagot, who was created a Baronet in 1627: William Bagot was made a Baron in 1780.

Blithfield Hall, the family seat, is an ancient mansion with embattled towers and walls; it stands in the vale of the Blithe or Blythe, on a beautiful lawn, and contains a large and valuable collection of paintings, among which are portraits of many distinguished persons." [5]

Early History of the Baget family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baget research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1160, 1166, 1198, 1256, 1276, 1290, 1382, 1383, 1386, 1388, 1399, 1402, 1407, 1408, 1415, 1495, 1591, 1616, 1626, 1644, 1660, 1663, 1668, 1673, 1674, 1679, 1690, 1693, 1695, 1698, 1704, 1707, 1708, 1712, 1784, 1791 and 1838 are included under the topic Early Baget History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baget 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 Bagot, Bacot, Baggot, Bagott and others.

Early Notables of the Baget family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Richard Bagot, (c. 1256), Knight of Bagot's Bromley; his son Sir William Bagot (fl. 1276-1290), Knight of Bagot's Bromley; Sir John Bagot, Knight of Blithfield and Littlehay, Staffordshire was Lieutenant of Calais in 1408, later Ambassador to the Duke of Burgundy, and served with King Henry V at Agincourt in 1415; Sir William Bagot (died 1407), politician and administrator under Richard II, began career in politics in Warwickshire under the Earl of Warwick, served both John of Gaunt and his son Henry Bolingbroke, as well as Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, future...
Another 171 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baget Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Baget family to Ireland

Some of the Baget family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 169 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Baget family

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 Baget or a variant listed above: Stephen Bagot who settled in New England in 1752; John Baggott settled in New England in 1750; William Bagot settled in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1811; and Thomas Baggot settled in Philadelphia in 1855..


Contemporary Notables of the name Baget (post 1700) +

  • Gianni Baget Bozzo (1925-2009), Italian Catholic priest and politician


The Baget 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: Antiquum obtinens
Motto Translation: Possessing our ancient honour.


  1. 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)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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