Bates Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Bates Family History

Bates Family History

The ancient origin of the name Bates was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Meaning 'son of Bartholomew', Bates is a baptismal name. Variants of this name include Bate, Bateson, Baitson, Beatson, Bason, Bateman, Batemanson and Batman. This name is of Celtic origin and is found throughout England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is found in many mediaeval manuscripts in these countries. Examples of such are a Bate de Butwick, Lincolnshire, a Bate le Tackman, Lincolnshire, a Bathe le Robert, Lincolnshire, and a Cecilia Bateman, County Huntingdonshire, who were all recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273. An Alicia Bate was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. In Scotland a Robert del Bate rendered homage in the year 1296, and a Robert Bates was Minister of the gospel at Spynie, Scotland, in the year 1747.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

The Bates family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Bates descendants.