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![Show Contents]() Chasteyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Chasteyn is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Chasteyn family once lived in Caston, a small village in the county of Norfolk. The surname was originally seen in the Old English form Cattstun, and was also an occupational name for a person who kept watch over a feudal castle. Early Origins of the Chasteyn familyThe surname Chasteyn was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, Causton in 1086 was held by Hardwin of Scales, a Norman Baron, and, conjecturally, the ancient ancestor of this surname. The village is on Roman Ermine Street, as in Turdor times became a coaching village. Early History of the Chasteyn familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chasteyn research. Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1327, 1335 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Chasteyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Chasteyn Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Chasteyn family name include Chaston, Chasten, Chasteyn, Chauston, Causton, Chastonne, Chastone, Chastenne, Chastein and many more. Early Notables of the Chasteyn familyMore information is included under the topic Early Chasteyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Chasteyn familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Chasteyn surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Nic. Michel Chassin, who arrived in Illinois sometime between 1717 and 1719; Philipp Chassin, who settled in America in 1838; G. R. Chas, who arrived in San Francisco in 1851.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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