Bagot

This long-established name is ultimately of Old Germanic origin, from the personal name "Bago, Bac(c)o, Bahho", derived from the root verb "bag-", to fight. This was a relatively popular name among the Normans, who introduced it into England after the Conquest of 1066 in the forms "Bacus, Bacon", and "Bague". The surname Baggott and its variant forms Baggett, Bagot(t) and Bagehot derive from a diminutive form (with the suffix "-et") of the personal name, recorded as "Bagot" in 1125 in Staffordshire. Early examples of the surname include: Ingeram Bagot, in Documents relating to the Danelaw (Lincolnshire), circa 1170; Hereficus Bachot, in the Warwickshire Curia Rolls of 1195; and Simon Baghot, in the 1198 Staffordshire Feet of Fines. Among the recordings of the name in London Church Registers are those of the christening of John, son of Humphrey Baggott, on January 6th 1627, at St. James' Clerkenwell, and the marriage of Thomas Baggott and Elizabeth Baxter at St. Giles' Cripplegate, on August 1st 1658. One of the family Coat of Arms depicts five silver escallops on a red cross, on a gold shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hereveus Bagod, which was dated circa 1159, in the "Chartulary of Staffordshire", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 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.