Heathcote (surname)
Encyclopedia
Heathcote is a surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 rooted in English topography which literally means "Heath Cottage". The location in Derbyshire was first recorded in the famous Domesday Book of 1086 as "Hedcote", and as "Hethcote" in 1244. The location in Warwickshire appears is written "Hethcot" in the 1196 Feet of Fines for the county. The Anglo-Saxon
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...

 surname "Heathcote" originates from a hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

 that stands high on the barren hills above Dovedale
Dovedale
Dovedale is a popular dale in the Peak District, England. It is owned by the National Trust, and annually attracts a million visitors. The valley is cut by the River Dove and runs for just over between Milldale in the north and a wooded ravine near Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill in the south...

 and Hartington
Hartington
Hartington is a village in the Derbyshire Peak District, England, lying on the River Dove close to the Staffordshire border. According to the 2001 census, the parish of Hartington Town Quarter, which also includes Pilsbury, had a population of 345...

. The place-name refers to a cottage on a heath or wasteland where was found an outlying farm or grange of Grendon Abbey. The said Grendon Abbey was founded in 1133. Some of the earliest references to the grange at Heathcote are found in records of the 1300 and 15th century.

Some variations of the name are "Heathcoat" and "Heathcote".

North America

A close study of immigration records shows that some of the earliest North American immigrants had the surname Heathcote in one of its various forms. These included:
  • John Heathcoate arrived in Jamaica
    Jamaica
    Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

     in 1685
  • Jasper Heathcoat arrived in New England
    New England
    New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

     in 1850
  • Edward and James Heathcote settled in Virginia
    Virginia
    The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

     in 1721

Britain

In 2008 it was estimated that 4,849 persons living in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 share the Heathcote surname. The same estimation estimated that it is the 2,042nd most common name in Great Britain.

Notable Heathcotes

  • Alfred Spencer Heathcote
    Alfred Spencer Heathcote
    Colonel Alfred Spencer Heathcote VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....

     (1832–1912): English recipient of the Victoria Cross
    Victoria Cross
    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

  • Caleb Heathcote
    Caleb Heathcote
    Caleb Heathcote was a Mayor of New York . His estate in Westchester County, New York is the site the present-day town of Scarsdale and was granted on March 21, 1701 or 1702 by Lieutenant Governor of New York John Nanfan. A neighborhood and an elementary school in present-day Scarsdale are named...

     (1666–1721): Mayor of New York City
    Mayor of New York City
    The Mayor of the City of New York is head of the executive branch of New York City's government. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.The budget overseen by the...

    , Brother of Sir Gilbert Heathcote
  • Charles Heathcote
    Charles Heathcote
    Charles Heathcote was an architect who practised in Manchester. He was articled to the church architects Charles Hansom, of Clifton, Bristol...

     (1850–1938): A British architect
  • Dorothy Heathcote
    Dorothy Heathcote
    Dorothy Heathcote MBE was a drama teacher and academic who used teacher in role as an approach to teaching across the curriculum in schools and later in other settings...

     (1926–Present): Drama educator
  • Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet (1652–1733): Lord Mayor of London
    Lord Mayor of London
    The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...

    , Successful English Businessman.
  • Sir John Heathcote, 2nd Baronet
    Sir John Heathcote, 2nd Baronet
    Sir John Heathcote, 2nd Baronet was a British Member of Parliament.Heathcote was the son of Sir Gilbert Heathcote, 1st Baronet, Lord Mayor of London, and Hester, daughter of Christopher Rayner...

     (1689–1759), British Member of Parliament. Son of Sir Gilbert Heathcote.
  • Jud Heathcote
    Jud Heathcote
    George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote is a former college basketball coach. He was a head coach for 24 seasons at the collegiate level: five at Montana and 19 at Michigan State...

     (1927–Present), college basketball
    College basketball
    College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

     coach, won 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
    The 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 40 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 9, 1979, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Salt Lake City, Utah...

  • Sophie Heathcote
    Sophie Heathcote
    Sophie Heathcote was an Australian actress.Heathcote was born in Melbourne. She began her acting career with a role in medical drama series A Country Practice as Stephanie "Steve" Brennan from 1990 to 1991...

     (1972–2006): Australian actress
  • Andy Heathcote
    Andy Heathcote
    Andy Heathcote is a British independent filmmaker specialising in documentary feature films. His projects are made within production company Trufflepig Films....

    : Awarded Scottish filmmaker
  • Isobel Heathcote Ph.D.: Professor of Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering at the University of Guelph
    University of Guelph
    The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK