Kingscote

This interesting name is locational from the village of "Kingscote", a parish in County of Gloucester near Stroud. The name derives from the Olde English "cyng" meaning "chief" and does refer to an estate which originally formed part of the Royal Estates - i.e. The Kings Cottages. The family "Kingscote of Kingscote" claim descent back to the saxon "Angerus" living in 985 AD. whilst it is claimed that Eva, the niece of William 1, The Conqueror, was given the manor of Kingscote as her dowry, Circa 1080. In 1854, Lt.Col. Robert Kingscote was Aide-de-Camp to Lord Raglan in the Crimea and witness to the events leading to the Charge of the Light Brigade.The Coat of Arms granted to Adam de Kingscote in 1188 has the blazon of a silver shield thereon ten escallops in black, on a red canton a gold mullet pierced. The canton being the highest award in heraldic terms and the mullet signifying a knights spur. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam de Kingscote, which was dated Circa 1188, in the "Charter Confirmation of Ownership", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.