Cornwall, one of the original six "Celtic nations" is the homeland to the surname Eastcott. A revival of the Cornish language which began in the 9th century AD has begun. No doubt this was the language spoken by distant forebears of the Eastcott family. Though surnames became common during medieval times, English people were formerly known only by a single name. The way in which
hereditary surnames were adopted in medieval
England is fascinating. Many Cornish surnames appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames. The name Eastcott is a
local type of surname and the Eastcott family lived in
Cornwall. Their name, however, translates as
the dweller at the eastern cottage, and indicates that the original bearer lived in such a place.
Early Origins of the Eastcott family
The surname Eastcott was first found in
Cornwall where they held a
family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the
Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Eastcott family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eastcott research.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1570, 1624, 1607, 1624, 1668, 1712, 1601, 1668, 1628, 1629, 1676, 1684, 1587, 1563, 1571, 1572, 1584 and 1586 are included under the topic Early Eastcott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Eastcott Spelling Variations
Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of
spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into
England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly,
spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of
Cornwall and the rest of
England. The Cornish spoke a unique
Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Estcourt, Estcott, Estcotte, Eastcourt, Escott and many more.
Early Notables of the Eastcott family (pre 1700)
Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Estcourt
(c. 1570-1624), an English lawyer and politician,
High Sheriff of
Gloucestershire in 1607, Member of Parliament for
Gloucestershire in 1624; Sir Edward Estcourt of Salisbury; Richard Estcourt (1668-1712), an early English actor, active playing comedy parts in Dublin; and Sir...
Another 120 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eastcott Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Eastcott family to the New World and Oceana
Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Eastcott were Thomas Escott who settled in Virginia in 1680.
Eastcott Family Crest Products
See Also