Who were the Ancient Eacotts?

Small bits of information exist to tell us who the ancient Eacotts were. From 1200 to 1600 they were small estate holders at Woodmancote, Bagendon, Rendcomb, North Cerney and adjacent parishes. During the 13 and 14 hundreds they must have suffered from the ravages of the plague, likely only one or two families survived this period. They were people of some social standing and influence. They interacted and married into families of some station in life.

In earlier times they took part in protests against the power of the local church and attended the Kings court to voice this concern. Only a person of the rank of small gentry or better could indulge in this. Again they had to serve legal duties as shown by the guard duty at Bagendon bridge.

In the 1400s one was assistant curate at North Cerney and had the money to install a stained glass window. Only a family of some means could have done this.

During the wars of the Roses the Eycotts were likely influenced on the side of the Yorkists since their rose badge appears in the North Cerney church.

Two local families of note, the Rich and the Vyner families were neighbours of the Eacotts. A Rich was Henry VIII's minister of finance, and a Vyner whose mother was an Eacott became lord mayor of London during Cromwell's time in 1600's. The small landowners along the Churn specialized in Cotswold sheep. The wool from these sheep was prized in Europe and the local farmers became quite well off from the sale of wool. The wills of Thomas and Richard in late 1500's

were the wills of persons who were quite well off. The giving of brass pots and pewter indicated wealth. Pewter was owned only by those with money. Lesser folk used wood and only the very rich had silver.

The Vyner family became wealthy as goldsmiths, and some of the Eycotts were known to be goldsmiths in Cirencester in the 1600s. There had to be wealth to even consider being a goldsmith. The craftsmen who belonged to this guild were very solid middle class artisans.

In the early 1600's Elizabeth I paid a visit to the Berkeleys who owned Rendcomb as well as Berkeley castle. Lady Berkeley used it as one of their summer homes. Such a visit would have been the opportunity for a state occasion and significant local people would have attended. Very likely the Eacotts would have been there. Some time later, Berkeley Eycott was a well known local person living at Cirencester and Bagendon. He was a warden of Bagendon Church. The full extent of the relation to the Eycott and the Berkeleys is not known.

At this same time in history, 1608, Smith undertook to record all men fit for military service. The absence of Eacotts is puzzling. Were they left off because of poor records, special permission, suspect loyalty or !!?

We also know that an Eycott in the 1600s was a rough mason, who presumable built walls and foundations, and perhaps buildings.

During this time the family may have had sympathy with the Roundheads and Cromwell during the civil war. Local first names were popular puritan names and the relationship to the

Vyner family may have had some impact since the Vyner who was Lord Mayor of London was a contemporary of Cromwell.

By 1700 the Eycott line at Woodmancote were owners of a fine manor house, a huge Lebanon Cedar, one of the first planted in England is located near the house. This line were held in question as tom their loyalty to the crown since they were registered as papists or papist sympathizers at the time of the Jacobite uprisings. Yet at the same time an Eycott was also appointed constable of Bagendon, a position of loyalty to the crown.

During the 1700s the movement of Eacotts away from the Churn valley seems to be related to taking up farming. The line which moved to South Cerney and thence to Purton may have been farmers. South Cerney was a quarry and weaving town and some may have been masons and weavers. The only known Eacott weaver was a William who worked for J&G Clarke in Trowbridge. There were stone masons and builders living near Stroud hired to repair gates after a riot. At least two of the Wiltshire Eacotts were plumbers and glaziers.

There appears to be some sort of relationship with Longleat and the Marquis of Bath. The Woodmancote manor passed under the feudal protection of the Marquis of Bath in later times. The woods at the manor were the last feudal rights given up by the Marquis, whose family name was Thynne. The Woodmancote manor was remodeled by the same architect who worked on Longleat. In the 1700s Eacotts began living at Warminster which was adjacent to Longleat. It is not known how or why they came to be there.

At Cromhall and Alveston the Eacotts seem to have been predominantly farmers. In this area lands have become known with Eacott names. Eacotts Moor is located near Alveston.

In Berkshire the line from Chaddleworth has provided a line of Eacotts who were often inclined to become active ministers and missionaries. This group has members whose work spanned the globe in the days of empire.

The London and Surrey groups have some records of having been shopkeepers and publicans.

In more recent times in the 1800s the Eacotts included farmers, preachers, a farrier in Somerset, horse trainers, dentist , chemist , police officer, builders, printers.

The work of the Eacotts who live or have lived in this century include preachers, shopkeepers, an actor, builders, office workers, teachers, doctors, administrators.

If any traits are handed down it would seem there is high level of social skill and an ability to build things among the Eacotts.

There are also family breakdowns of one sort or another.

If one looks at the arithmetic, any living Eacott would have in the year 1700 ( about 8 generations back) 256 grandparents. Going back to 1500, or 15 generations there would be 32,800 grandparents, and in 1375, 20 generations back there would have been 1 million grandparents. So, in theory every person in England in those days would now be an ancestor of an Eacott.

Prior to 1900 there had lived, from the earliest records to 1900 about 700 Eacotts, mostly in Gloucester and Wiltshire. Today there are about four family groups in Canada, four in USA, Some in Australia, 1 in New Zealand and a couple of dozen in Britain. All told there are probably 300

Eacotts alive in the world today. About 50 in Australia, 40 in Canada, 24 in USA, 150 in Britain.

Index of Places associated with Eacotts

Place first last Spelling Variants Numbers Involved

Eycote 1066 1400 about 80 families

Bagendon 1394 @ 1793 Eycott, Ekot 56 names

Rendcomb 1416 1832 Eycott, Ecot,Eacutts 15 most Ey, Ec

North Cerney 1430 @ 1751 Eycot,Ecott,Eacott 141 mostly Eycott

Winstone 1583 1643 Ecot,Ekot,Eacoote,Eacott 13

Elkstone 1588 Ecott 1

Awre 1606 Eycote 1

Woodmancote 1608 1725 Eycott, Coote 3

Horsley 1663 Eycott 1

Colesbourne 1664 1751 Ecot, Eacott,Eycott 13 most Ecot

Stratton 1664 Eycott 2

Daglingworth 1680 Eycott

Cirencester 1683 1795 Eycott 46

Brimsfield 1688 Eycott 1

South Cerney 1696 1746 Eycott,Eacutt,Ecut 6

Cromhall 1697 1997 Eacott.Ecott, Ecutt 90+

Charfield 1700 1780 Eacot, Ecott Ecutt 5

LongNewton 1701 Ecot 1

Warminster 1703 1880 Eacott 54

Purton 1703 1888 Eacott 11

Chedworth 1705 1730 Eycott 3

AmpneyCruci 1709 1749 Ecket,Eycott,Eckut,Eycott 13

Cheltenham 1710 1795 Eacott, Eycott Ecoate 7

Shorncote 1710 Eycott 1

London 1710 1997 Eycott, Eacott 12

IronActon 1711 1781 Eycott Eccott Ecott 4

SherbourneHp 1712 1756 Eccut Eckett 3

Tetbury 1713 1807 Ecute Eycot Eacott 5

Baydon 1715 Eacott 2

Cleeve 1720 Eycott 1

Yanworth 1725 Eycott 1

WootonBas 1728 1772 Eacott 12

Devizes 1730 Ecott 1

Cherington 1734 1750 Eycott 6

Uphaven 1735 Eccutt 1

Stroud 1738 1795 Eacut Eycott 14

AmpneyStMar 1738 1787 Ecot Eccott 2

Highworth 1739 1771 Eacott 3

TilehurstBk 1742 1812 Ecket 18

YattendonBk 1745 1748 Eccot Eacott 3

Chipingham 1747 1779 Eacott 7

Kempford 1750 1754 Eycott 2

Alveston 1767 1911 Ecott Eacott 47

Bratton 1768 1820 Eacott 3

Brightwalton 1775 1824 Eacott 13

Wickwar 1777 1867 Ecot Eckut 5

Swindon 1779 1798 Eacott 14

Withington 1789 Eycott 1

Minchinghmp 1789 Eycott 1

Trowbridge 1792 1839 Eycott Eacott 8

Gloucester 1797 1832 Eycott 4

Stonehouse 1797 1884 Eycott 8

BisleySurry 1800 1820 Eacott @ 12

Westwood 1808 1819 Eacot Ecot 3

Berkley 1817 Ecott 2

Preshute 1818 1826 Eacott 3

Bristol 1820 1840 Eacott 4

CastleEaton 1824 Eacott 1

Tythington 1841 1910 Ecott Eacott 2

FramptonCott 1875 1980 Eacott 1

Other places of origin after 1875 have not been included.

Eacott - Eycott Wills at Gloucester records Office

(compiled 1984)

Wills from 1500 to 1800 including storage retrieval number

1583 -000 Ekott Thomas Bagenden

1588 -151 Ecott, Mary Elkstone

1594 -152 Eycott, Thomas Brimpsfield

1619 -110 Ecott, Joan Rendcombe

1621 -164 Eycott, William Woodmancot

1629 -128 Eacott, Robert Bagendon

1631 -154 Eacott, Margery Winstone

1663 -172 Eycott Richard Horsley

1670 -149 Eycott Richard N. Cerney

1683 -075 Eycott Joseph N. Cerney

1701 -132 Ecot, John Colesbourne

1711 -263 Eycott John IronActon

1712 -142 Eycot, Berkeley Bagendon

1714 -172 Eycott Thomas Coates

1715 -311 Eycott Thomas Woodmancot

1730 -197 Eycott Thomas Bagendon

1732 -162 Eycott Richard Cirencester

1733 -050 Eycott Thomas Badginton

1738 -154 Eacut, John Catswood Bisley

1757 -022 Eycott Elizabth Cirencester

1764 -012 Eycott Joseph Cirencester

1772 -148 Eycott Richard Cirencester

1775 -138 Eycott Elizabth Cirencester

1776 -036 Ecut, William Cromhall

1779 -072 Eycott Jones Cirencestrr

1781 -089 Eccott, Alice IronActon

1789 -102 Eycott John Withington

1811 -000 Ecott Philip Wickwar

Other wills do exist:

1581 Eycott Richard North Cerney - copy in text

1760 Eacott William Charleton in Tetbury parish

Wills at GRO 1800 to 1900

1801 Eycott Nancy Stonehouse

1811 Ecott Philip ?

1825 Ecott Mary ?

1866 Eycott Ann Clutterbuck

1867 Eacott John Wickwar

1869 Eacott Jemina Alveston

1875 Eacott Robert FramptnCoterell

1879 Eacott Philip Alveston

1879 Eacott John Alveston

1894 Eacott Edgar ?

1900 Eacott Robert Huntley

Wills to 1931 include James 1909, John 1910, Emma 1907,Charlotte 1924, Mary Eliz 1917, Eliz Sarah 1923

Notes from early Wills and Other documents

Joan Eacott 1619 - Rendcombe : Buried in Rendcomb churchyard.

Brothers - Will Eacott, Richard Eacott, Thomas Eacott.

Sisters - Susan Chamberlain, Margaret Broade. Also Thomas son of Richard Eacott. Susan Jefferies her mother-in-law.

Thomas Eycott 1740 - North Cerney: Catholic, a batchelor. to William Eycott of Cirencester his nephew and only next of kin. His sister Rebecca and Martha frehold estate at Woodmancote and have cottage there until married.

John Eycott 1751 - Cirencester: catholic, a goldsmith of Cirencester. Estate at Bagendon, mother Mary, wife Elizabeth, sons Richard and John, freehold estate at Chedworth payment to sisters.

William Eacott 1760 - Tetbury: Charleton in Tetbury parish.

Daughter Elizabeth wife of Jonathan Avery. Son Richard Eacott.

William Ecutt 1776 - Cromhall: Sons John eldest, William, Robert, Philip. John inherited Messuage and tenement. Also owned two other cottages. was remarried

Wills at Wiltshire Record Office, Trowbridge.

1627 Thomas Ecut of Westport , Mother Elizabeth, Wife Rachel was with child,

1684 William Ecut of Eysey, Labourer

Sons: William, Nicholas; Daughters Ann, Margaret, Elizabeth.

Wife deceased

1778 Thomas Eacott of Chippenham, Plumber and Glazier

Son: Thomas, Dau. Elizabeth, Susanna

Brother - John Eacott of Wotton Bassett also plumber and glazier

1792 John Eacott of WottonBassett, Yeoman

Wife: Mary, Nephews: John Smith, James Smith. Nieces: Sarah Smith, Ann Smith, Mary Smith

1853 James Eacott of Trowbridge, Shearman