My father has the Eastcott surname as of one of his middle names (in a bid to keep the Eastcott name going as I believe there are not many Eastcotts' left now and the name is at risk of dying out).   My paternal great grandmother was an Eastcott.  

Having conducted family trees on variety of surnames in my own personal family names - the Eastcott name was rare and easy to follow and I was intrigued about the name itself.  So I decided to collate a tree and before I knew it I was collecting lots of information pertaining to the Eastcott name, hence I subsequently joined the Guild of One Name Studies.

From the big main tree (dating back to 13oo) I have found some Eastcotts emigrated to Australia, America, New Zealand and Canada and I have built up these trees going down or forwards (descendants) rather than the usual route of going up or backwards (ascendants).I have obtained a variety of sources including the census, BMD certificates and church records, immigration and passenger lists, apprenticeship lists.

The surname has been variously spelt either variant or misspelling

Estcott changed to Eastcott as time went on.   I can only make the assumption that this could be due to incorrect spelling of the correct name - as the name Eastcott - the East part was not pronounced when spoken as east but as est and when people were able to read and write as time went on they were able to correct the name to be spelt properly from Estcott to Eastcott and is the name that is used today.

The name has probably been misspelled to Estcote; Eastcote - as well as going from Est to East in first part of the name there were times therefore going from cott to cote in the second part of the name.

The earliest references quoted are from research conducted by Genealogical Searchers: Messrs, Mawson, Swan and Morgan Ltd of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne which was instigated by Harry Eastcott, born 1851, the son of Richard and Charity Eastcott (nee Palmer), for the company to research and publish an outline of the Eastcott pedigree and this is possibly where the Printed Eastcott Booklet that is cited in this tree had come from and which is in my possession.  Harry Eastcott also appears in Burke’s “The Landed Gentry” dated 1921-22 and the 1937 edition and it is thus possible that the entry of Eastcott in the Burke’s Landed Gentry derived from the Eastcott Booklet edited and printed by the above research company. 

The Genealogical Searchers have proved that the family of Eastcott is of great antiquity in the West of England, and have traced a definite and continuous line back to the year 1202.  However, further search along the way has taken it back another 100 years to the year 1100. 

The Eastcott family originates from Cornwall and Devon.  In this area there are 4 hamlets called Eastcott within a short distance of each other.  Eastcott 4 miles south east; 8 miles east; 6 miles north and 18 miles north west of Launceston, Cornwall.   These hamlets were called Estcott and that it is most likely that the Estcott/Eastcott families took their name. 

In the ‘Dictionary of English/Welsh Surnames’ the name Eastcott is a tithing in the parish of Urchfont, co. Wilts and local people used this name – for example: Richard de Estcott, co Wilts 1272.  The prefix ‘de’ to a surname means ‘of’.  Thus, Stephen de Estcott means Stephen of Estcott.  The prefix continued to be used until about 1350, when Stephen still at Estcott, Cornwall, dropped the prefix to become just Stephen Estcott.  Estcott name continued to be used for the next three centuries without the prefix.  However, the surname Estcott was beginning to change. John Estcott of Launceston, Cornwall and his son Thomas of Broadwoodwidger interchangeably used Estcott and Eastcott.  From the birth of Thomas’s son John in 1677 the name became Eastcott to which is predominantly used today.

The family of Estcott, or Eastcott, is of great antiquity in the West of England, and it probably took its name either from Estcott in the parish of North Tamerton, or from Estcott in Morwenstow, both in Cornwall.

In 3^rd John, 24 No. (Pedes fin’) circa 1202, Osbert De Estcott is thus mentioned: “Walt de Nasoi qu’Osbert de estcott, def’ in Estcott”.

Lysons in his ‘Devonshire’ writes, “Estcott, the heiress of the elder-branch of this ancient family whose pedigree is traced one generation beyond the reign of King Stephen (1135-1154) married Pentier, a younger-branch which was of Tamerton, in the reign of Edward III, married an heiress of Manning, and co-heiress of Tolworth and Prust” (Vol. iii. p.c iii).

Westcote also writes that the Estcott family anciently held lands in Harberton (Westcote’s ‘Devon’ p. 149).  The family appears to have held lands in other parts of Cornwall, as in 1425, the Bishop of Exeter’s Licence was granted to Robert Estcott for the celebration of Divine Service in the Chapel of St. Wenne, and in other Chapels and Oratories within his manor of Pengywe? (‘Trigg  Minor’ Vol.2, p. 113).

On 9^th June 1408, a Reginald Estcote was ordained, and on 12^th June, 1400, was John Estecote and apparently appointed to Berbirch Priory, on 14^th September he received letters dimissory. (Bishop’s Stafford’s Reg’, 1395-1419).

A family of the same name held lands in Wiltshire, and possibly may have been a younger branch settled there, Hugh de Estcote and Joan, his wife, are mentioned in 1299 (Cal’ Genealogicum 579).  In 1301, on 24^th October, Hugh de Estcote was one of the three appointed to collect in Wilts, the 15 though lately granted to the King towards the cost of the expedition into Scotland (Cal’ of Patent rolls).

On 3^rd May, 1333, licence was granted at Belford to Walter De Estcote, to enforce Thomas de Coleshull, and John de Tiryngham of a moiety of the Manor of Westerderle, co. of Southampton, held in chief and for them to re-grant the same to him for life, with remainder to Hugh, his son, in fee tail, and if Hugh die without heirs, to the right heirs of Walter, by fine of ten marks (Cal’ of Patent Rolls, memb 6, page 431).  The above mentioned Hugh appears to have been knighted, as the Issue Roll of 44^th Edward III says, “To Sir Hugh Estcote, Knight, sent to bring ships from London to Southampton for the passage of Robert Knolles to Normandy, in money paid to him for wages, by General Writ of Priory Seal, £6.13.4”.  There are other references to this Sir Hugh in the Issue Rolls.

In 1377, 2^nd August, Pardon was granted to Ralph De Estcote for acquiring for life without the King’s Licence from John de Isle, decd certain parcels of land in Wilts, and in the same year on the 16^th November, licence was granted, on payment of 40 shillings into the hanaper, to William De Estcote for him to enforce, Master Thomas Spert, Clerk, and Hugh Attenere, of a fourth part of the Manor of Westuderley, and a third part of the Manor of O Kelec, and a rent of four quarters of salt in Merchwode, held in chief, and for the forfees to grant the premises to the said William and Elizabeth, his wife, in tail with remainder to the right heirs of the said William (Cal’ of Patent Rolls, memb 27).

In 1349 Robert de Estecote, was Incumbent of Wellow, Co. Somerset (Weaver’s Somerset Incumbent). “Et de dimoidia marca de Wridiet De Estcota pro eodem” (Magnus Rotulus Pipoe, A.D. 1176-1177, Berks).

GENERAL ARMORY OF ENGLAND – Arms – Sa. six escallops (or 3, 2 & 1).  The Crest – a sea gull erect, wings expanded sa.  SEATS – Endsleigh, Gateshead-on-Tyne, and Broadwoodwidger, Devon.

Source: Eastcott Booklet

No DNA testing at present