Bosquet

Recorded as Bosket, Boscott, Boskett, but ultimately Bosquet, this is a French Huguenot refugee surname. It is a very good example of these surnames which formed such an important part of the changing social and industrial scenes of the late 17th and all of the 18th century. Upto this time France had been rivalled only by Spain for the world leadership, but after about the year 1705 the picture changed completely, and the power swung to the British. The Huguenots were protestants in catholic France. They were also both the skilled artisans of France and perhaps surprisingly their most effective military leaders. However religous fundamentalism took over, and some fifty thousand protestants were driven from the country, most coming to Britain. They arrived just in time for the coming of the Industrial Revolution, in which they played a major part, as well as Imperial Britain. Some changed their name spelling, so that they sounded much the same as previously, but were British in appearance. Bosquet means "Little wood," with bos being a short form of bois. Examples of recordings in the surviving church registers of the city of London include Nicolas Bosquet at Threadneedle Street French church, on October 3rd 1709, and Thomas Bosket at St Giles Cripplegate on August 17th 1777.