Gargan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Gargan family

The surname Gargan was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor in the West Riding. 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, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Gargrave held by Berenger de Tosny and Roger le Poitvin from the King as recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Gargan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gargan research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1219, 1446, 1468, 1495, 1510, 1540, 1549, 1559, 1565, 1569, 1571, 1575, 1579, 1582, 1585, 1588, 1597, 1600, 1605, 1606, 1609 and 1638 are included under the topic Early Gargan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gargan Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Gargan are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Gargan include Gargrave, Gargreve, Gargreave, Cargrave, Cargrove and many more.

Early Notables of the Gargan family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Gargrave (1495-1579), a Yorkshire Knight who served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire (1565 and 1569), speaker of Queen Elizabeth's first Parliament and President of the Council of the North (1559), father of Sir Cotton Gargrave; Sir Cotton Gargrave (1540-1588), an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Boroughbridge...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gargan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gargan migration to Canada +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Gargan, or a variant listed above:

Gargan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. James Gargan, aged 44 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 2
Miss. Margaret Gargan, aged 10 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 2

Gargan migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gargan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Gargan, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Katherine Stewart Forbes" in 1837 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Gargan (post 1700) +

John "Jack" Gargan (1930-2018), American financial consultant and politician, 2nd Chairman of the Reform Party
Elmer Gargan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 25th District, 1924 4
Jack Gargan (b. 1930), the first modern day (non hereditary) Chief of the Clan (1992-2000) and founder of the (Mac)Geoghegan Family Society

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 30)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) KATHERINE STEWART FORBES 1837 arrived Holdfast Bay, near Adelaide, on October 17, 1837. . Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837KatherineStewartForbes.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html