| ![Show Contents]() Pinsent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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England Etymology of PinsentWhat does the name Pinsent mean? The name Pinsent reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Pinsent family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Pinsent family lived in Devon. Their name, however, is a reference to Mont-Pincon, in Calvados, in the arrondissement of Lisieieux, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Early Origins of the Pinsent familyThe surname Pinsent was first found in Devon where they held a family seat anciently as Lords of the Manor. The name originally was the Norman Mont-pincon or pincun from the barony and castle in Normandy. Ralf de Montpincon was the Norman noble dapifer who was granted lands in Devon for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Meanwhile in Normandy, the head of the family, Hugh de Monte Pincon held the service of three knights from Montpincon Castle in 1172. Migration of the family from Normandy to England continued for centuries as seen by Richard Pynson (died 1530) who was a Norman by birth, but was naturalized on 26 July 1513. He became a printer in London. "From his method of working it is clear that he learnt the art in Normandy, probably in the office of Guillaume le Talleur." 1 Burton Pynsent House is a historic country-house in the parish of Curry Rivel, Somerset. It was built in 1765 for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, after he inherited the estate from Sir William Pynsent (1642-1719.) "It was the property of Sir William Pynsent, Bart., and, with other estates, was left by him to the great Earl of Chatham, in testimony of respect for his character." 2 Pynsent Column stands on Troy Hill, a spur of high ground about 700 m north-east of the house. Early History of the Pinsent familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pinsent research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1642, 1679, 1689, 1719, 1765, 1790, 1818, 1850, 1859 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Pinsent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Pinsent Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Pinson, Pincon, Pinsent, Pensent, Pensons, Pinsons, Pinser, Pincer, Poinson, Poincon, Pynson, MontPinson, Montpinson, Mountpinzo, Mompesson, Pinsun, Montepinson, Montepesson, Montepinsun and many more. Early Notables of the Pinsent familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - Sir William Pynsent or Pinsent, 1st Baronet (1642-1719), of Urchfont, Wiltshire, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Devizes in 1689
Pinsent RankingIn Newfoundland, Canada, the name Pinsent is the 341st most popular surname with an estimated 136 people with that name. 3
| Pinsent migration to the United States | + |
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Pinsent name or one of its variants:
Pinsent Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- William Pinsent, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1716
- John Pinsent, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774
Pinsent Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Mr. R. Pinsent, aged 38, who landed in America, in 1894
Pinsent Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Ellen F. Pinsent, aged 39, who immigrated to the United States from Birmingham, in 1905
- Jacob Pinsent, aged 29, who landed in America, in 1917
| Pinsent migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Pinsent Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- William Pinsent, who settled in Port de Grave, Newfoundland in 1773 with his brother John 4
Pinsent Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- William Pinsent settled at Ochre Pit Cove, Newfoundland in 1800 4
Pinsent Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century- James Pinsent, aged 29, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1907
- Blanche Pinsent, aged 63, who immigrated to St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1915
- Frances Pinsent, aged 24, who immigrated to St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1915
- Herbert Pinsent, aged 33, who settled in Bonavista, Newfoundland, in 1923
| Pinsent migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Pinsent Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Joseph Pinsent, (b. 1819), aged 31, English miner, from Ashburn, Devonshire, England, UK travelling aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 5
- Mrs. Elizabeth Pinsent, (b. 1824), aged 26, Cornish settler, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 5
- Mr. William Pinsent, (b. 1846), aged 4, Cornish settler, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 5
- Mr. Richard Pinsent, (b. 1849), aged 1, Cornish settler, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Emily" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 9th September 1850 5
| Contemporary Notables of the name Pinsent (post 1700) | + |
- Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE (b. 1970), English fourteen-time gold medalist rowing champion and broadcaster
- Ed Pinsent (b. 1960), English cartoonist, artist and writer
- Gordon Edward Pinsent CC, FRSC (1930-2023), Newfoundland-born, Canadian television, theatre and film actor who received five Gemini Awards, three Genie Awards, two ACTRA Awards, and a Dora Award
- Robert John Pinsent (1797-1876), Newfoundland magistrate and politician who ran in the first general election held in Newfoundland in 1832
- Leah Pinsent (b. 1968), Canadian Genie nominated television and film actress, daughter of Gordon Pinsent
- Dame Ellen Pinsent DBE (1866-1949), British mental health worker, eponym of the Dame Ellen Pinsent Special Primary School in Birmingham
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_1850_59.pdf
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