Hastings Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Hastings Family History

Hastings Family History

The Hastings ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Meaning 'the son of Hasting', this a baptismal name of great antiquity. Variants include Hasting, Hastin and Hastain. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout the above islands. Examples of such are a Henry de Hastinge, from County Bedfordshire who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls' in the Year 1273. A Thomas Hastinges and Elizabeth Martin were recorded as having been married at Saint James, Clerkenwell, in the Year 1668.

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 the method of creating and updating these old reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.

In Ireland the names Hastings and Hestin are derived from the native Gaelic O'hOistin sept that was located in County Mayo and was associated with the MacDermotts. Histon is another variant found in County Limerick. Hastie is a form of the name found mostly in Ulster Province.The Hastings 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 Hastings descendants.