Posted on: General Alberta<br>Canada Queries Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/Canada/Alberta/General/11458 Surname: Eacott ------------------------- The surname "Eacott" was by all accounts pronounced as "Ecutt" or "Ecott" from early times, the "Ea" being pronounced the same as the "ea" in "feather", "leather", "weather" etc. and because of the pronunciation it has been spelt many different ways over the years as others have written it as they heard it spoken. My own ancestor "Thomas Eacott" came to Australia from Sutton Veny, Wiltshire, England in 1830. Even though he was illiterate he knew how his name was written, and because he retained the spelling I was able to find his family on the Sutton Veny Parish records. To this day however, the name continues to be pronounced as "Ecutt" except by some families who have changed to "Ea" as in "Peach" because of the many spelling difficulties that arise when pronounced the "old" way. There is every chance that your mother's family link into the Eacott family. When searching old records the name seems to be pretty much isolated to the southern part of England and I think probably originated around Gloucester. It may not have been Eacott to start with, but has been Eacott since the 1700's that I am aware of. John Eacott in Canada believes that the name may have started in England as Eycott. I don't discount that theory, but I was told by a man with a background in the study of the origins of surnames that it was most probably a shortened version of eastcott (cott being Anglo Saxon for cottage, haven or dwelling place) thus when surnames came into being, the dwellers of East cottage took on the surname of Eastcott shortened to Eacott and the same with Westcott (Wescott), Northcott (Norcott) etc. I am in possession of a book about Sutton Veny which indicates that in that region South was pronounced as Sut (Sutton Veny meaning South on the Fenn).