Gascoint History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Gascoint arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Gascoint family lived in Yorkshire. Their name, however, is not a reference to this place, but to the family's place of residence prior their emigration to England, Gascony, a French province which was occupied by the English from 1152 until 1453.

The family was "a native of Gascony, the French province, which being in the possession of England, during a portion of the XIV. cent., supplied this country with many new families and names. The heads of the family were all Williams, the courageous Chief-Justice who sent Prince Henry to prison being one." 1

The surname was introduced to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, as was the wine for which the area was known. Geoffery Chaucer's Old English poem Piers Plowman makes reference to "reed wyn of Gascoigne."

Early Origins of the Gascoint family

The surname Gascoint was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire as Saxton, a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash. "The parish comprises by computation 4030 acres, and is chiefly the property of the daughters and co-heiresses of R. O. Gascoigne, Esq." 2

"The Gascoignes were for many generations settled at Gawthorpe in Yorkshire, where their old hall stood by the side of the lake, about two hundred yards south of Lord Harewood's present house. It had come to them early in the fourteenth century, through the marriage of William Gascoigne with its heiress, Mansild de Gawkethorp." 3

Indeed, the family produced a long list of notables dating back to 1026 in Northumberland where Bernard Gascon was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1206. Two years later, William le Gascum was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1208. 4

From these earliest listings the family spread throughout ancient Britain including: Philip le Gascoyn in Shropshire in 1266. The Hundredorum Rolls has two listings: Peter Gascoying in Devon in 1274; and Geoffrey Gascoyne, in Norfolk in 1275. 4

"In the 15th century and later, Gascon occurs as Gaskin, Gascogne, Gascoigne, which some believe may be due to the influence of Gascogne 'Gascony'. Some of the above forms are certainly from the adjective." 4

Other early listings include: Robert de Gascoin, Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1243; Nicholas de Gascoigne in 1340; and William Gascoigne in the Feet of Fines in 1389. Johannes Gascone was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls in 1379. 5

Early History of the Gascoint family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gascoint research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1381, 1404, 1419, 1458, 1507, 1514, 1516, 1525, 1535, 1537, 1558, 1572, 1577, 1579, 1593, 1596, 1602, 1610, 1614, 1623, 1637, 1644, 1659, 1661, 1662, 1686, 1687, 1698, 1716, 1718, 1723 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Gascoint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gascoint Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Gascoigne, Gascoyne, Gascoine, Gascoin, Gaskoyne and others.

Early Notables of the Gascoint family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Gascoigne (c.1350-1419), Chief Justice of England during the reign of King Henry IV, eldest son of William Gascoigne, by Agnes, daughter of Nicholas Frank, was born at Gawthorpe, Yorkshire; Thomas Gascoigne (1404-1458), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University; John Gascoigne (fl. 1381), an English lawyer and author; George Gascoigne (c. 1535-1577), an English poet, soldier and unsuccessful courtier; John Gascoigne (c.1537-1602), of Parlington, Yorkshire, an English...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gascoint Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gascoint family to Ireland

Some of the Gascoint 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 Gascoint family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Gascoint or a variant listed above: Thomas Gaskoyne who settled in Virginia in 1619 before the "Mayflower"; Saville Gascoyne settled in Virginia in 1635; Stephen Gascoyne settled with his wife and servants in Barbados in 1680.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)