The west coast of
Scotland and the rocky
Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Beatson family. The root of their name is the names of Macbeth and Bethune, or Beaton. The Macbeth and Bethune families, who were hereditary physicians to the Chiefs of Macdonald, practiced medicine on the Isles during the Middle Ages and their names merged in English into the one surname of Beaton. The Macbeths were concentrated in
Islay and Mull, whereas the Beatons were concentrated in
Skye. However, the Beaton family was not restricted to the Isles and it later branched to other counties such as Fraser. Nonetheless, by the 17th century, the Beaton family "ceased to practice the healing art" and the last of the hereditary physicians was Niel Beaton who practiced medicine in about 1763.
Early Origins of the Beatson family
The surname Beatson was first found in the Isle of
Islay, where they held a
family seat from ancient times, long before the
Norman Conquest in 1066.
Early History of the Beatson family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beatson research.
Another 205 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1543, 1598, 1519, 1569, 1494, 1546, 1543, 1598, 1473 and 1539 are included under the topic Early Beatson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Beatson Spelling Variations
Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Beatson has appeared in various documents spelled Beaton, Beeton, MacBeth, MacBeaton, McBee, MacBee and others.
Early Notables of the Beatson family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the
Clan from early times was Janet Beaton, Lady of Branxholme and Buccleugh (1519-1569) an aristocratic Scottish woman, mistress of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell, had five husbands and was accused of being a witch, immortalized as Sir Walter Scott's Wizard Lady of Branxholm in his "Lay...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beatson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Beatson family to Ireland
Some of the Beatson family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 129 words (9 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 Beatson family to the New World and Oceana
Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American
War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through
Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Beatson or a variant listed above:
Beatson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Susanna Beatson, aged 19, who landed in Virginia in 1683 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Beatson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Robert Beatson, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Mrs. Beatson, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Contemporary Notables of the name Beatson (post 1700)
- Walter W. G. Beatson, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Bassein, 1884 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - George Steward Beatson (d. 1874), Scottish surgeon-general
- Patrick Beatson (1758-1800), Scottish born mariner
- Robert Beatson (1742-1818), Scottish compiler and miscellaneous writer
- David Beatson (1944-2017), New Zealand journalist, media analyst and broadcast presenter, Chief Press Secretary to New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger
- The Hon Mr Justice Beatson (b. 1948), has been a British judge in the Queen's Bench Division in the High Court
- Colonel Sir George Thomas Beatson (1848-1933), British physician
The Beatson 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: Debonnaire
Motto Translation: Graceful