Gushlow

History of the Name

At the time of my father's passing the research into the Gushlow family tree had taken the date back to John Battist in 1748. He had discovered several facts or fiction, or a mixture of both, concerning the family name. The result of which always points across the Channel to Normandy.

Highland Heights Heraldry Ltd., from where my dad purchased a hand crafted Badge, decided that the name Gushlow was of Norman origin, coming to England in the 13^th century as Goshelow. However that appears to be incorrect as the first Gushlow on record, John Henry Battist Gushlow, has John Battist as his father!

The links with other information suggest:

1. The Flemish connection with the Huguenot movement, The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in October, 1685, began a new persecution of the Huguenots, and hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled France to other countries. The Promulgation of the Edict of Toleration in November, 1787, partially restored the civil and religious rights of Huguenots in France. And as the Huguenots were French Protestants this would account for all the Battist/Gushlow births, marriages etc., taking place in Protestant Churches in the early years.

2. It was not any connection to the Huguenots but to the rise of the French "threat" due to Napoleon and the French Revolution. As John Henry Battist was born in 1784, he would have been 14 in 1798, when he was told by his father that his real name was Gushlow (Gushleau in the French language). He is stated to have gone to sea in a man-of-war at the age of 14 and on returning from one of his voyages was informed of the name change by his father John Battist. Thus it would have made sense to use an anglicised name, as there was every possibilty of being captured by a French vessel, whilst continuing his occupation as a sailor.

According to research carried out by William Caffall (husband of Annie Gushlow ~ 1883-1940), who was an archivist and genealogist, Battist could be a derivation of the Flemish form for Baptist and Gushlow the English form of Gushleau. Again indicating a French connection. Raymond Gushlow has said that years ago when passing through France his mother was certain that they had passed a shop with the sign Gushlow.

From the time my Uncle Mick and my father started to research the family tree they had contacted,and been contacted by, Gushlows they had never heard of! A big vote of thanks has to go to Mercy Gushlow, who sadly passed away in November, 2003, and her nephew Malcom Carvell (who had become my dad's unofficial proofreader, critic and mine of information) who through the years had collated enough data to form the trunk and the lower branches of the tree. Also Heather Lord, who lives in Australia, and whose great-grandmother was a Gushlow has contributed and still researching a lot of the data for the tree. And of course to all the Gushlows who have contributed information and copies of documents.

Mercy Gushlow

Malcolm Carvell

Heather Lord