Blackestone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Blackestone family

The surname Blackestone was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Blaxton, a township in the parish of Finningley, union and soke of Doncaster. 1

"Of William Blackstone, one of the earliest episcopal clergymen resident in New England (d. 1675) a biographer writes: 'His name was variantly spelled Blackstone, Blackston, and Blaxton." 2

"But it is not likely that Blaxton in Yorkshire is the sole parent of Blackstone and its variants. Doubtless other places in South England of the same name have had their share in making up the list of surnames found in our modern directories." 3

Continuing this direction, "Blackstone, Devon, was held [in the Domesday Book of ] 1086 by Alured le Breton (from Bretagne), who appears to have been succeeded by his grandson Payne Fitz-Serlo, who granted the church of Breton to Plympton Priory " 4

Following the aforementioned first record of the family, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists Agnes Blacston, as holding lands in Cambridgeshire. 3

Early History of the Blackestone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blackestone research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1589, 1595, 1603, 1620, 1623, 1630, 1631, 1649, 1650, 1659, 1673, 1675, 1691, 1692, 1698, 1702, 1723, 1771 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Blackestone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackestone Spelling Variations

Although the name, Blackestone, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Blackstone, Blakiston, Blakistone, Blaxton, Blackiston, Blackistone and many more.

Early Notables of the Blackestone family

Reverend William Blaxton (Blackstone) (1595-1675), an early British settler in New England in 1623, and the first European settler of modern-day Boston and Rhode Island. According to the records of Massachusetts, have arrived in the colony between 1620 and 1630. "He was found by the Massachusetts Bay colony, on their arrival in 1630, settled on the peninsula of Shawmut, where the city of Boston now stands. He had a pleasant cottage built and a garden planted. Difficulties beset him with the newcomers. As a consequence he sold his property and removed to the more tolerant colony of Roger Williams in 1631...
Another 214 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blackestone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blackestone migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Blackestone family name Blackestone, or who bore a variation of the surname were

Blackestone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Blackestone, who landed in Maryland in 1674 5

The Blackestone 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: Do well and doubt not

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
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)