The illustrious surname Rossecrowe finds its origin in the rocky, sea swept coastal area of southwestern
England known as
Cornwall. Although surnames were fairly widespread in medieval
England, people were originally known only by a single name. The process by which
hereditary surnames were adopted is extremely interesting. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the
Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Lords and their tenants often became known by the name of the
feudal territory they owned or lived on. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored
patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used
local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the
Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use.
Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Rossecrowe is a local type of surname and the Rossecrowe family lived in Cornwall. Their name, however, derives from the Old Norse
roscowe, meaning
roe-buck-wood, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a stand of such timber.
Early Origins of the Rossecrowe family
The surname Rossecrowe was first found in
Cornwall where they were Lords of the manor of Roscrowe.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. There is some disagreement about the earliest reference of the name as one reference claims the name actually come from
Lancashire, where the earliest record is of Gilbert Roscoe, of Exton as recorded in the Wills at Chester in 1293. Continuing in the same register, we also found James Roscoe of Farnworth in 1594 and James Roscow of Leigh in 1594. Roscrowe is an estate in the parish of Gluvias in
Cornwall which was held by the family in the 14th century and became extinct during the time of Henry I.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Early History of the Rossecrowe family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rossecrowe research.
Another 149 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rossecrowe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Rossecrowe 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 Roscoe, Roscrowe, Roscrow, Rosecrowe, Roscow and others.
Early Notables of the Rossecrowe family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Rossecrowe Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Rossecrowe family to the New World and Oceana
An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Rossecrowe: William and Rebecca Roscoe who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635 with their children, Samuel, William, Sarah, and Mary.