The Estcott history begins in
Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern
England. Quite distinct from
Devon, the adjoining county,
Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Estcott history began here. The manner in which
hereditary surnames arose is interesting.
Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored
patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used
local surnames. The Estcott family originally 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 Estcott family
The surname Estcott 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 Estcott family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Estcott 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 Estcott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Estcott 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 Estcott 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 Giles Estcourt, 1st
Baronet (c. 1601-1668), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. He was from Newton in...
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Estcott Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Estcott family to the New World and Oceana
Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Estcott: Thomas Escott who settled in Virginia in 1680.
Estcott Family Crest Products
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