This is an English surname, but of two possible origins. The first is from the Celtic county of Cornwall, where it is a compound consisting of the elements "bos" meaning a house, and "anger", a pasture, to give the house by the pasture. This is from the pre 10th century Old Cornish and Bretonl. However a second possible origin is French. It is known that Huguenot refugees from Lunel in the Laugedoc region established themselves in Cornwall in the early 16th Century. There they were recorded as Boscaneth and it seem's that this name also recorded as Bosanquet may have become integrated with the original Cornish "Bos-auger", to give the present spelling. The first recordings in the modern spelling appear to be as shown below, but it may be that further research could produce a definitive link. These recordings include Agnus Bosauco who married Edouardus Priest at Truro on June 1st 1607. The first recorded spelling of the family name in the surviving church registers of Cornwall is that of William Bosankoe of Wendrow. This was dated January 19th 1602, when he was a witness at the christening of his daughter Joan. This was during the last year of the reign of the famous Queen Elizabeth 1st often known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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