Show ContentsUpcher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient and distinguished surname Upcher is Old English in origin, tracing its history back to the time of Anglo-Saxon England. The name means "of Upshire," and refers to someone from the hamlet Upshire in county Essex. It is also possible that the name sometimes means "of Upchurch," referring in this case to someone from the parish of Upchurch in county Kent, but the Essex variation is considered the parent.

Early Origins of the Upcher family

The surname Upcher was first found in Essex, where John Upchar was reportedly living in 1420, according to "A Descriptive Catalogue of Ancient Deeds." The Upcher family held a family seat in this region from early times, and contributed greatly to the development of medieval English society.

Early History of the Upcher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Upcher research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1620, 1639, 1674, 1849 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Upcher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Upcher Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Upsher, Upcher, Upshar, Upchar, Upshire, Upchurch and others.

Early Notables of the Upcher family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Abbot Roland Upcher (1849-1929), a British canon from Norfolk, and the Upsher family of county Essex


Australia Upcher migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Upcher Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Upcher, British Convict who was convicted in Colchester, Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Upcher (post 1700) +

  • Caroline Upcher, British romance novelist
  • Peter Upcher (1893-1963), British actor


  1. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835


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