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Fawcett family

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Arms of Fawcett of Sandford Hall: argent on a bend azure three dolphins embowed

Fawcett is the name of an old English gentry family[1][2] which held lands in Cumbria, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire. Prominent members of the family include politicians, Privy Counsellors, senior army officers and civil servants, shipping magnates, explorers and archaeologists.

History

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The origins of the family can be traced back to Anglo-Scandinavian landlords who managed to maintain status after the 1066 invasion of England by the Normans of France and the Harrying of the North.[3] The Fawcett family shares its name with Fawcett street[4] in Kensington (London), the Fawcett Forest in Cumbria, Fawcett Moor in North Yorkshire and a village in North Yorkshire listed as Forset in the Domesday Book of 1086[5] where the first known records of the family are mentioned under Henry II (1154 – 1189). The name Fawcett is derived from names de Forcett or de Forset which it replaces over the course of the 15th century following the Hundred Years' War.[6]

The first attested bearer of the name is Gilbert de Forcett, the younger son of Ervis, lord of Appleby-Upon-Tees, who granted him the lands of Forcett upon his marriage during the reign of Henry II.[7] Ervis's eldest son, Herbert de Appleby-Upon-Tees, who inherited the estate of Appleby, is the ancestor of the lords of Appleby.[8] Ervis was the grandson of a certain Ulf, listed as the lord of Appleby-Upon-Tees and Forcett in the Domesday Book,[9] and presumably descended from a Danish family that took possession of lands in Yorkshire during the Viking invasions from Denmark in the 9th century.

By the 13th century, following the First War of Scottish Independence the Fawcett family had been granted the Manor of Hertesheved[10] (Hartside) in the Breamish Valley, Northumberland with the task to oversee this area and protect the northeast borders of the Kingdom of England.

The Fawcett family was frequently involved in the Anglo-Scottish conflicts of the late Middle Ages. They are recorded as fighting with the Percy family[11] (Anglo-Scottish wars of the 14th century) and with the Clifford family (battle of Flodden Field in 1513[12]) who held the offices of Warden of the Marches. The family's involvement in the Hundred Years' War is also recorded at the battle of Agincourt and the siege of Harfleur.[11][13]

Henry Fawcett of Over Hesleden (1562 - 1619), Sheriff and Alderman of Norwich[14]

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Fawcett family extended its land holdings South mainly into the Yorkshire Dales and East in Cumbria. They had strong links with the Fountains Abbey, ensuring its protection as well as tenanting their land.[15] The family played a significant role in the Pilgrimage of Grace,[16] protesting against the dissolution of the monasteries. The Fawcett family eventually also became substantial landowners in the area when Miles Fawcett saved George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, from bankruptcy in exchange for 2,000 acres of former Fountains Abbey land in 1603,[15] His brother, Henry Fawcett, a prosperous wool merchant became Alderman and Sheriff of Norwich.

General Sir William Fawcett KB (1727 - 1804) by Joshua Reynolds [17]

In the 17th and 18th century the family acquired estates in Westmorland (Sandford Hall[18] acquired by Richard Fawcett in 1671,[19] from whom descend General Sir William Fawcett, the Fawcetts of Sandford and the Rehman Fawcetts) and in Cumbria (Scaleby Castle inherited by Rowland Fawcett at the end of the 18th century[20] from whom descends Percy Fawcett the celebrated explorer). General Sir William Fawcett rose to prominence in the 18th century for his merits as a tactician and as an in-depth reformer of the British Army. His actions contributed significantly to the successes met by the British troops during the Napoleonic wars. He served as Adjutant-General to the Forces from 1781 to 1799 as a Commander-in-Chief in 1799. During this period Fawcett was the de facto ruler of the English army, and the most influential officer on the headquarters staff.

Overtime the family moved from traditional farming to wool and silk trading[21] and became prominent shipping magnates[22] in East India during the XIXth and early XXth century.

The Fawcett family bears the arms “argent on a bend azure three dolphins embowed” with the crest a “dolphin embowed”,[2][23][24] these arms were confirmed by the College of Arms in 1619. There are three related branches of the Fawcett family which bear these arms with different mottos:

  • Fawcett of Sandford Hall: Nobilitas sola est atque unica virtus
  • Fawcett of Shipden Hall: Officio et fide
  • Fawcett of Scaleby Castle: Ne tentes aut perfice

The Fawcett family from North Yorkshire is a distinct family from the Fawcett family of Bradford (arms: “argent a lion rampant sable”) or the Fawcett families of Somerset, Ireland and Scotland.

Notable members of the family

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References

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  1. ^ "Genealogical Herald Burk" (PDF). ia600906.us.archive.org.
  2. ^ a b "Armorial families : A directory of gentlemen of coat-armour". 1905.
  3. ^ "History of Yorkshire" (PDF). ia600900.us.archive.org.
  4. ^ "Fawcett St · London, UK".
  5. ^ "Catalogue description Place name: Forcett, Yorkshire Folio: 309r Great Domesday Book Domesday..." March 19, 1086 – via National Archive of the UK.
  6. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter (November 17, 2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199677764.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-967776-4 – via www.oxfordreference.com.
  7. ^ "History of Yorkshire" (PDF). ia600900.us.archive.org.
  8. ^ "APPLEBY of Lartington - Ingilby History".
  9. ^ "Eppleby | Domesday Book".
  10. ^ "Archaeologia aeliana, or, Miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity". Newcastle-upon-Tyne : Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. March 19, 1822 – via Internet Archive.
  11. ^ a b c d "Medieval Soldier - Database". www.medievalsoldier.org.
  12. ^ a b "Genuki: Arncliffe, Memorial Plaque transcription, Yorkshire (West Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk.
  13. ^ "Catalogue description Parties to Indenture: Indentures between the king and the following for service in".
  14. ^ Norwich Civic Portrait Collection, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery
  15. ^ a b Landscapes and Townscapes of North Craven, Tony Stephens
  16. ^ a b The Pilgrimage of Grace and the Politics of the 1530s, R. W. Hoyle
  17. ^ The National Portrait Gallery
  18. ^ "The old manorial halls of Westmorland & Cumberland". Kendal, T. Wilson. 1892.
  19. ^ "Parishes (East Ward): St Colombe, Warcop | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
  20. ^ Historic England. "Scaleby Castle moated site (1019762)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Answer: 10032: FAWCETT, Childwick Hall, St Michaels, c1863-1890 (Hertfordshire Genealogy)". www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk.
  22. ^ "CUMBRIA S ENCOUNTER WITH THE EAST INDIES c : GENTRY AND MIDDLING PROVINCIAL FAMILIES SEEKING SUCCESS - PDF Free Download". docplayer.net.
  23. ^ "An Armorial for Cumberland" (PDF). www.forgottenbooks.com.
  24. ^ "Old Cumbria Gazetteer - coats of arms, Cumbria".
  25. ^ "City of Norwich, chapter 42: The Northern ward, Coselany ward | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk.
  26. ^ "FAWCETT, Henry (1762-1816), of Scaleby Castle, nr. Carlisle, Cumb. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org.
  27. ^ "Lieutenant Colonel John Fawcett (1803-1878)".
  28. ^ "Birthday and New Year Honours lists (1860 to 1936) | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk.
  29. ^ The Times, obituary 15 January 1982
  30. ^ "Oriel Record 2016 by Oriel College Development Office - Issuu". 12 December 2017.