Ecclestome History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Ecclestome is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Ecclestome family once lived in a region named Eccleston in Lancashire and Chester. The surname Ecclestome is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Ecclestome family

The surname Ecclestome was first found in Lancashire at Eccleston, a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley. This place gave name to a family as early as the reign of Richard I. Alan de Eccleston was listed as a tenant of Edward III and his pedigree ascends to the time of Henry III. This township is probably the Eglestun of Domesday Book of 1086. 1

Another early record of the surname was Thomas of Eccleston (fl. 1250), a thirteenth century English Franciscan chronicler, best known for his "De Adventu Fratrum Minorum in Angliam." It tells the story of when Franciscan friars first came to England in 1224 to about 1258. He was known as "Brother Thomas" and was later given the title "of Eccleston." 2

Early History of the Ecclestome family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ecclestome research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1605, 1610, 1611, 1623, 1659, 1688, 1697, 1712 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Ecclestome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ecclestome Spelling Variations

Sound 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 Ecclestome family name include Eccleston, Ecclestone, Eccleton and others.

Early Notables of the Ecclestome family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Eccleston (1659-1743), an English Jesuit of Eccleston Hall, Lancashire. He was the only son of Henry Eccleston, esq., of Eccleston Hall, Lancashire. "During the wars in Ireland, after the revolution of 1688, he held a captain's commission in King James's army. Being engaged in a duel which proved fatal to his antagonist, he was seized with remorse and determined to enter the religious state. Accordingly he returned to Rome, entered the jesuit novitiate of Sant' Andrea...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ecclestome Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ecclestome family to Ireland

Some of the Ecclestome family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ecclestome family

For 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 Ecclestome surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Elizabeth Eccleston who settled in New England in 1706; E. Eccleston arrived in New York in 1823; James and Henry Eccleston arrived in Philadelphia in 1860..

The Ecclestome 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: Spero meliora
Motto Translation: I hope for better things.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print