Augustine, Austi/en, Keith

An ancient relationship

The Encyclopedia Britannica states that Saint Augustine founded a Christian church in Southern England in the fourth century after leaving the monastery of St Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland) in Rome. Followers of Augustine, living more or less as a brotherhood of monks, became known as the Augustine Canons and the "Austin Canons". By 1215 there were 173 independent houses in England alone. The Austin Friars, Order of the Hermit Friars of St Augustine, became an offshoot of the Austin Canons and had many lay members, whose surnames were Austi/en or phonetic derivatives such as Ousteans, Oustine, Ousteane, Owstyne, Awstyne.

Austin is a sept (offshoot) of the ancient Clan Keith and their tartan is registered in Comrie, Scotland as Austin-Keith. The tartan was registered by the Austins first and later by the Keiths in early 1600.