Oldgate Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The history of the Oldgate family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in the area of Holdgate in Hereford. Holgate was also listed as a township in the suburbs of York at one time.

Oldgate Early Origins

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The surname Oldgate was first found in Shropshire at Holdgate, Stanton Holdgate or Castle Holdgate, a small village which dates back to 1185 when it was listed as Castellum Hologoti and literally meant "castle of a man called Helgot", from an Old French personal name + the Latin castellum. Holdgate (Holgate) Castle is situated in the village of Holdgate and was mentioned in the Domesday Book. It was an 11th century earthwork motte and bailey fortress founded by Helgot de Reisolent. Ruins of the castle are still found there today.

Oldgate Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Oldgate include Holgate, Holdgate, Howgate, Hogate and others.

Oldgate Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oldgate research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1481, 1555, 1545 and 1554 are included under the topic Early Oldgate History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oldgate Early Notables (pre 1700)

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Oldgate Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Oldgate or a variant listed above: James Holgate settled in Philadelphia in 1685; William Holgate settled in New England in 1748; Mathew Holdgate settled with his daughter Mary in Philadelphia in 1685.

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Citations

^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)

Other References

Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation 1620-1647 Edited by Samuel Eliot Morrison 2 Volumes. New York: Russell and Russell, 1968. Print.
Matthews, John. Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book. London: John Matthews, 1911. Print.
Hitching, F.K and S. Hitching. References to English Surnames in 1601-1602. Walton On Thames: 1910. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0181-3).
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X).
Markale, J. Celtic Civilization. London: Gordon & Cremonesi, 1976. Print.
Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry. (2 Volumes). London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.
Thirsk, Joan. The Agrarian History of England and Wales. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 7 Volumes. Print.
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Bolton's American Armory. Baltimore: Heraldic Book Company, 1964. Print.
Weis, Frederick Lewis, Walter Lee Sheppard and David Faris. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650 7th Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0806313676).
Leeson, Francis L. Dictionary of British Peerages. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1986. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-1121-5).
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The Oldgate Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Oldgate Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 1 December 2014 at 06:52.