THE GOSLING FAMILY.
(Vol. vi., p. 510.)
One of the Flock asks for information relative to the antiquity of the name and family of Gosling. The Norman name of Gosselin is evidently the same as that of Jocelyn, the tendency of the Norman dialect being to substitute a hard g for the j or soft g, as gambe for jambe, guerbe for gerbe. As a family name it is far from uncommon in Normandy, and many of your antiquarian readers may recognise it as the name of a publisher at Caen of works on the antiquities of that province. A family of the name of Gosselin has been established for many centuries in the island of Guernsey. William Gocelyn was one of those sworn upon the inquest as to the services, customs, and liberties of the island, and the laws established by King John, which inquest was confirmed by King Henry III. in the year 1248. In the year 1331 an extent of the crown revenues, &c. was made by order of Edward III., and in this document the name of Richard Gosselin appears as one of the jury of the parish of St. Peter-Port.
A genealogy of the Guernsey family of Gosselin is to be found in the appendix to Berry's history of that island, and it is there stated that—
"The first on record in Jersey is Robert Gosselin, who greatly assisted in rescuing the castle of Mont Orgueil from the French in the reign of Edward III., and was, for his gallant services, not only appointed governor of the castle by that monarch, but presented with the arms since borne by that family (viz. Gules, a chevron between three crescents ermine), as appears by the original grant under the great seal of England, supposed to be upon record in the Tower of London, or among the archives at Winchester. This Robert Gosselin some time after settled in Guernsey, where he married Magdelaine, daughter of William Maltravers, his majesty's lieutenant in that island."
On referring to Burke's Armory, I find that families of the name of Gosselin, Gosling, and Gooseling all bear arms similar to those described above, or but slightly differing, which affords a strong presumption that they are all descended from the same stock. The arms of Gosselin of Normandy are quite different.
Honoré de Mareville.
Guernsey.