| Possible origins of Colson
surname |
| Continued from
1E |
One
document that I have states with implied certainty that
the Colson surname originated in Northumbria, the northeastern-most
region of England. It was further
stated that the first known appearance of a Colson variation
was in the county of Northumberland where Ælstan
Colsune settled in the township of Jesmond
in 1090. That would add credibility to the belief that
the Colsons first arrived in England as Anglo-Saxon or--more
likely--Viking raiders, using the sword and axe to secure
a niche for themselves on its shores.
As
I previously noted earlier, surnames were very rare in the 11th
century. That would seem to imply that Ælstan was a man
of some significance. Over the next few centuries, his ancestors--or
others bearing a similar surname--were said to have gained some
prominence in the area. One document cited "the historian
Camden" as its source for locating the family seat
at "Jesmond House". I must
presume that it was located in the township of Jesmond, but I
have not been able to identify its exact whereabouts with any
degree of certainty. If this document is factual, then it must
be referring to the London historian William
Camden (1551-1623). William Camden was a highly
respected historian, antiquitarian, and traveler. He extensively
researched numerous local histories and public records prior
to publishing his six Britannia Editions.
Camden, according to the document, described the Colsons as "an
ancient and generous family" who resided many centuries
in Blenkinsopp Castle, which is also
near Jesmond (see map). According to John Watson's Haltwhistle
History, the Blenkinsopp clan had owned the
land around the castle since as early as 1240 when it belonged
to Randolph de Blenkinsopp.
|
 |
The
document went on to imply that the Coulsons (sic) intermarried
with the Blenkinsopp family for many generations, even accompanying
Richard I on his Crusade to the Holy Land. No period documents
were cited; however, so I cannot independently verify such
a relationship during that era. There are several sources available
that seem to support at least a familiarity between the Colsons
and the Blenkinsopps as early as 1584. Parish marriage
records for the general area show that Colsons and Blenkinsopp
did in fact intermarry during this period. |
Such
a relationship would have been a very beneficial union for
the Coulsons as the Blenkinsopp clan consisted of many barons
and knights who at one time held both Corby and Blenkinsopp
Castles. A search of the GENUKI database
for Whickham Parish offers some insight.
According to church records, on 13 June 1584, William Colson
married Agnes Blankenship. A generation later, George Colson
married Ellenor Blankenship on 28 September 1606. We are somewhat
limited in our searches beyond that timeframe as churches did
not begin to keep records of such events until the mid 16th
century. This does not preclude such an affiliation prior to
this period, nor did the affinity end there. William Coulson,
Esquire, born 15 July 1692 of John Coulson and Elizabeth Broomley
in Jesmond, married Jane Blenkinsop. He was made a freeburgess
of Edinburgh on 12 September 1729. He died on 20 January 1750
in Jesmond. His son, John Blenkinsop Coulson, Esquire, was
born on 7 May 1729, also in Jesmond. He left the Jesmond estates
to his nephew, John Blenkinsop Coulson, in a will dated 27
June 1785. In 1727, Blenkinsopp
Castle passed by marriage to Colonel
John Blenkinsopp Coulson of Jesmond. He built
the beautiful castellated mansion called Blenkinsopp
Hall. In 1785, The Coulsons took the additional
name of Blenkinsopp to reflect their inheritance. A century
later (c.1880), William
Lisle Blenkinsopp Coulson, Esquire restored the
hall and built the modern castle that is seen today. According
to Blankenship
Origins , one of the portraits that Colonel
Coulson displayed in his dining room was of William Coulson
and his wife, the heiress of Blenkinsopp. |
Late
in 1871, the widow of John Blenkinsopp-Coulson, Esquire. (d.1868) commissioned
for the installation of a large stained-glass window in the
West wall of the Holy Cross Church in
Haltwhistle (pictured right) to
serve as a memorial to him. It can still be seen there today. |
Source: Donald Blankenship |
| n
1885, W.L.B. Coulson, Esq. installed
two small stained-glass windows at the church in her memory.
Haltwhistle parish contains the Blenkinsopp township within
its borders. For more information on Blenkinsopp Castle and
its relationship to the Colson family, follow the link at the
bottom of the page. Those interested in further researching
the Blankenship family should visit the site of Donald
L. Blankenship. The images above are borrowed
from his thorough web page. On his site there is also a picture
of a monument erected in Northumberland to W.L.B.
Coulson, Esq. (1841-1911). |
Colson
variations increase in the Later Middle Ages |
After
the time of the Domesday Book, there are several other records
that can be used to locate our forefathers. Subsidy rolls or
tax records still exist for many English counties. In 1100,
there is a Colle Serviens mentioned
in the County of Yorkshire. In 1145, the name Robert
Coule is written in the Kent County rolls. Centuries
later, Johannes Cole of Yorkshire
is listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Finally, an Edward
Cowl of Suffolk County is similarly mentioned
in 1568. It is very possible that none of these individuals
play any part in our family's lineage; however, the fact that
there is a chance makes their names worth noting.
According to another surname history that I have seen, by
1200 the Colson family had expanded south to Yorkshire and Staffordshire.
They acquired Colston
Hall in Lincolnshire, Filkins Hall in
Oxford, Roundaway Park in Altshire,
and estates in Devon. There is also a Car Colston,
which was not founded by a Colson, but instead renamed for the
prominent family that later held title to it. Many times, especially
after the Norman Conquest, titles of land were given as reward
to a subordinate. Car most likely is a corruption of the word Caer which
means
"castle" in Welsh. Exactly how Car Colston came into
family hands, or how it was later lost is unknown. It is known,
however, that the Thoroston family who later held Car Colston
sold their patronage or birthright to King Henry VIII and moved
to Orston.
The Jesmond
Dene Historical Information site provides
further background information for the area around the township
of Jesmond. In 1272, Adam de Jesmont held the land. By 1545,
Edward VI granted the Newcastle priory and lands in Jesmond
to Sir William Barintine. Over the years the land was
divided up. The Ord family owned parts of Jesmond,
and along with Sir Francis Anderson and others, sold
the land to William Coulson. The Coulsons held the
land until 1808 when the estates were dispersed among John Anderson
and others. It further reported that Stot Hall,
which belonged to "Coulson, Esquire" lies west of the
dene in the Jesmond area. [Dene refers
to a valley, especially one that is narrow and wooded. It comes
from the Old English word denu meaning "valley."]
In the 17th century, Mr. Colson built the garden bath at the
Chapel of St. Mary, located on a mound apart from the Jesmond
dene. |
| See VARIATIONS
ON A SURNAME for
more information, page
7E» |
| Colstons
played important role at Battle of Agincourt |
One
of my favorite discoveries--and most credible--was a reprint
of Prince
Henry V's Honor Roll from the Battle
of Agincourt (1415). For those not familiar
with the battle, it was an enormous triumph by the English
over the French despite being ridiculously outnumbered.
Nevertheless,
written on the Roll are close to twelve hundred names which represent
the men who brought feed men and other armed retainers with them to
the campaign. These were obviously all nobles, landed gentry and otherwise
significant individuals. In their midst I found found two names that
stood out from the rest: John and William
Colston. |
|
|
|
| Domesday
box housing the rolls (Source: Domesday Book Story). |
| Doomsday
Records |
The Domesday
Book or "Doom's Day Book"
was commissioned by King William the Conqueror in 1086. He
desperately needed to solidify his rule in England; however,
his sovereignty was threatened by King Canute of Denmark and
King Olaf of Norway. In the 11th century, a portion of all
taxes raised went into a fund called the Danegeld for
the purpose of buying off the marauding Danish armies. William
needed to know exactly how much gold was being collected in
taxes throughout the countryside so that he could evaluate
how much money was available for the Danegeld. Riders were
sent out to the four corners of Britain in order to make a
record of the kingdom's assets. The resulting Domesday survey
was much more than just a simple physical record, however.
It was a detailed statement of lands held by the king and his
tenants, and of all the resources that went with those lands.
It noted which manors rightfully belonged to which estates.
This helped to alleviate the years of confusion that had resulted
from the gradual and often violent dispossession of the native
Anglo-Saxons by their Norman conquerors. For lack of a better
term, it was essentially a 'feudalistic portfolio' providing
the names of the tenants-in-chief whose authority over the
lands came directly from the Crown. It also recorded the names
of their tenants and under-tenants. The fact that the project
was completed in two years is a tribute to the remarkable political
power and authority of William the Conqueror.
One of the
most important near-contemporary accounts of the making of the
Domesday survey is that of the Anglo-Saxon chronicler as provided
by the Domesday
Book Story web site:
|
"...had
much though and very deep discussion about this country
- how it was occupied or with what sorts of people. Then
he sent his men all over England into every shire and
had them find out how many hundred hides there were,
or what land and cattle the king himself had, or what
dues he ought to have in twelve months.
Also he had a record made of how much
land his Archbishops had, and his Bishops and his Abbots
and his Earls, and ... what or how much everybody had who
was occupying land in England, in land or cattle, and how
much money it was worth.
"...there was no single hide nor a yard of land, nor
indeed one ox nor one cow nor one pig which was there left
out: and all these records were brought to him afterwards."
|
I
am not aware of any similar feat of being accomplished prior
to that date and cannot fathom the degree of difficulty that
must have been involved with such an endeavor in the 11th
century. To the local populace, its level of effeciency was
incomprehensible and seemed in league with the Day of Judgment,
hence the name "Doom's Day Book."
According
to a surname history that I have, it is claimed that there was
at least one Cole listed as a tenant
on an unspecified farm within the books records. I conducted
some research on my own a few years ago using a publication that
was available at the Laredo Public Library. It reprinted all
of the pages that are known to have survived to this day. Although
I found no mention of a person named Cole, I did discover that
there were many small hamlets listed that bore names such as Colestown, Colstown,
and several other variants. The Colestown of Nottinghamshire
was listed at the time of the conquest as an ancient demesne.
This term literally means "domain"
in Norman French and refers to the land or estate around a manor. No doubt
these locations were named in some way after a noteworthy individual or
founder.
|
|
Agincourt reenactment. (Source:
Sir Thomas Erpingham's Retinue) |
