Bankcroft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Bankcroft family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found at or near an enclosure at a slope deriving its origin from the Old English phrase of the bank-croft. 1

Early Origins of the Bankcroft family

The surname Bankcroft was first found in Cheshire and south east Lancashire in the vicinity of Manchester where William and Henry Bancroft established estates, and erected monuments to the Bancrofts at various locations. Early records revealed that Bancroft was located "near Warrington, Cheshire" and the family were "a branch of the Lords of Boteler of Warrington." 2

Whilst this ancient local has been lost, today there is a Bancroft in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire but this is a recent residential district.

"The well - to - do family of the Bancrofts of Chellaston resided in that village for more than 300 years, and from this stock came Bancroft the poet, who flourished in the reign of Charles I. " 3

"The Cheshire Bancrofts have their principal homes in Cheadle, Stockport, and Marple, in which last place they have held land since the time of Elizabeth. " 3

Early History of the Bankcroft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bankcroft research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1449, 1544, 1545, 1548, 1570, 1574, 1595, 1596, 1600, 1603, 1604, 1610, 1613, 1620, 1640, 1658, 1669, 1696 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Bankcroft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bankcroft Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Bankcroft include Bancroft, Bancrofte, Bamcroft and others.

Early Notables of the Bankcroft family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Bancroft (1544-1610), Archbishop of Canterbury in 1604 who supervised the production of the authorized version of the Bible. Thomas Bancroft (ca. 1596-1658), was a minor 17th-century English poet who attended to St Catharine's College, Cambridge (1613.) He was a native of Swarston, a village on the Trent, in Derbyshire. John Bancroft (died 1696), an English surgeon, best known for his work in drama at the Theatre Royal (Drury Lane.) He "was...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bankcroft Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bankcroft family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Bankcroft or a variant listed above: John Bancroft who settled in Lynn Massachusetts in 1632; another John and Jane settled in Boston Massachusetts in the same year.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.