Highlights |
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| Agincourt Honor Rolls |
Battle of Agincourt |
In 1415, Henry V won an incredible victory
against all odds; 2 Colstons are on the Honor Roll. 2E |
Domesday
Book
 Domesday
Box
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Existing documents
date back to the 11th century and are an extremely useful
resource. 2E |
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Sweethearts
 |
I told my girlfriend that I was going to put
her photo on the site, and she gave me permission. Now
I just have to find where.
9E |
Northumberland
Holy Cross Church |
The Northeastern part of England has been
a good place to find Medieval Colson ancestors. 2, 4E
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Variations on a surname
One must understand how last names evolved to trace
back your lineage. 2, 7E |
Buying your own Coat of Arms
Exposing the truth about the selling of co-called
family Coats of Arms, 3E |
Recent Discoveries
Jesmond Colson became landowners of note; plus a history of Blenkinsopp. 5E
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Colson family anecdotes
Interesting tales from others around the world with the Colson surname, 6E |
Suggested links for further info
Cannot find what you are looking for here? try some
of these Colson sites. 9E
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LonnieColson.com Snapshots |
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| Vikings: first angry Colsons? (Source:
Solar Navigator) |
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Colson
Heritage site: |
Beginning
the search |
| First
attempt at digging up a family tree |
Genealogy.
The word when viewed by itself almost suggests to its
reader that it is an exact, modern science. Then again,
how can any field that is dedicated to uncovering the
past logically be a discipline of it? There has recently
been a renewed interest in researching our genetic roots;
however, the study of our forebearers is an important
concept that reaches back to the very origins of mankind.
The direct descendents of Adam are clearly named in the
book of Genesis. Other
books of the Bible dedicate
entire chapters to detailing the lineages of important
patriarchs. In fact, since the dawn of time, brother
has risen up against his brother for the sole chance
of inheriting his father's land and title. Take for example
the expansive period of civil war in English history
known today as the Wars of the Roses.
In its most simple terms, the conflict was no more than
two branches of the same tree fighting over which was
more closely stemmed from the trunk.
My first
taste of genealogy came as a high school teenager when my parents
purchased a book on advirtised to contain the entire history
of the Colson family. As a young man completely enthralled by
the Arthurian legends, I had been fairly content with the belief
that my ancestry had originated somewhere within the British
Isles. Beyond that I had honestly never been very concerned with
discovering my family's history. Inside that book I stared in
amazement at the 'Colson Family Coat of Arms' depicted on its
pages. I swallowed the entire notion that one symbol could represent
my family's collective past. After all, who would sell a reference
book that was not completely factual?
My
ignorance on the subject slowly melted away over the next few
years as I began to delve further into heraldry. Mainly, it was
my passion for absorbing anything related to Medieval history
that spurred me on. During college I associated briefly with
the Society for Creative Anachronism,
an international organization with tens of thousands of members
who are dedicated to the premise of promoting the Middle Ages.
Although I marveled at their ideals, my fascination in their
methods was short-lived. I yearned for an opportunity to authentically
re-portray the lives of Medieval men-at-arms. I envisioned men
in armor squaring off in realistic duels. Unfortunately, (for
the most part) what I found was a group of hippies decked
out in capes and second-hand football pads bopping each other
over the head with padded sticks. I found myself alienated to
the side-lines for my objections, and I quickly lost interest
afterwards. It was, however, during that brief tenure with the SCA that
I began to research the Colson surname in depth for the first
time.
The Colson
Heritage section has become my outlet for sharing
some of the more interesting facts that I have discovered. Like
my personal interests, it enjoys an emphasis on the later half
of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. With few exceptions,
all of the information found on these pages comes as a direct
result of the intense labors of others. I try to shift as much
credit--and blame--as possible to my various sources.
I also apologize in advance for any omissions or oversights committed
on my part. My goal is to collect the many bits and pieces that
are scattered all over the World Wide Web and pool them together
into one concise spot. I will try to separate myth from verifiable
fact and expel some of the false notions that still linger about. |
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Colson history
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| Suggested
surname origins |
Who
was the first Colson? Where did the name come from? I doubt
that any two people you ask will give you the exact same
response. Which, if any, are the correct assumptions?
Unfortun-ately, we may never know for certain who was the
first person to bear our namesake. What we can be relatively
certain about is that there had to be more than one 'first'
Colson. Although there is at least some evidence of the
Colson surname appearing all across Western Medieval Europe,
the majority of cases seem to be concentrated in vicinity
of Northeastern England.
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Viking longship. (Source: Daily
Galaxy) |
In
our search for our the root of our name, the -son provides
us with the most important clue. That suffix literally
means "the son of" in
some of the old Scandinavian dialects. That would lead
one to assume that the first Colsons were either members
of one or more of the collective 'Viking' invaders or the
indigenous population. Remember that the later category
included both the native British people and their Anglo-Saxon
conquerors. There are several Colsons of French descent
who aver that their ancestors originated there. That makes
me tend to believe that the earliest Colsons were among
the waves of Norse settlers that left their Scandinavian
homelands in search of 'greener pastures'.
Prior
to the 12th century, surnames were almost nonexistent. A study conducted by Ewen
L'Estrange on Devon subsidy rolls (tax records), only
about 6% of the population had a surname in the 12th century. That number rose
to almost 60% by 1332. The main reason behind this was the Salient Law of
the Catholic Church's Reforms in the 12th century which "banned marriage
within seven degrees of consanguinity". Under Norman Law, no bastard could
gain an inheritance. The poor possessed no land to bequeath and the wealthy had
written contracts and titles to protect their interests; however, the ever-growing
middle class had much to lose. This provided a positive force behind the adoption
of surnames, which grew exponentially over the next few centuries.
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