Origin of the Name Westcott
The ancient history of the name
Westcott was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. Variants Westcott, Westcoatt, Wesscott, Westacott. A locality name meaning 'of Westcott', from places found in counties Gloucestershire and Berkshire. This name is of English descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in the above country. Examples of such are a Ricardus Westkote, County Buckinghamshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and a Nicholas Westcote, County Oxfordshire, was also recorded in the same year in this ancient document.
Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by creating, maintaining and updating these reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.
Other examples of this name were found in the person of a Richard Wescote, County Somerset, who was recorded in 'Kirby's Quest', in the reign of Edward III and a Margrett Westcott was baptised in Saint Peter, Cornhill, in the year 1611.
The Westcott coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Westcott descendants.