Pars History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Pars is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in the region of Parr which was known in Lancashire as an enclosed area. having derived from the English word "pearr," 1

Pars is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

One source notes: "I ventured to derive this surname from Peter, and this, through the French Pierre, is probably the true origin of it in some cases; but a correspondent (the Rev. Henry Parr) says: 'it is derived from the manor of Parr in Lancashire, which is also a township, and of late years has become a chapelry. There all my ancestors were settled from the XIII. century, and there is sufficient reason for concluding, that every family bearing the name has branched out from the same parent stock.' " 2

Early Origins of the Pars family

The surname Pars was first found in Lancashire at Parr, a township in the parish of Prescot where one of the first records of the family was John Parr, rector of the church of St. Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire in December 1367. 3

"The family of Parre or Parr, barons of Kendal, were anciently lords of the manor. Sir Thomas Parre, master of the wards and comptroller to Henry VIII., died in the 9th year of that king's reign, leaving two sons and two daughters, of whom one of the latter, Catherine, became the unfortunate queen of Henry VIII. His son, William, inherited the estates, and was successively created lord Parr and Ross, Baron of Hart, earl of Essex, and marquess of Northampton." 4

Sir John Parr (c. 1371), the progenitor of the Parr family which included Catherine Parr (1512-1548), Queen of England. Without a doubt, one of the most famous of the family in the early years was Thomas Parr (1483-1635), the Englishman who was said to have lived for 152 years. Often referred to as Old Parr or Old Tom Parr, his portrait hangs at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, with an inscription which reads "Thomas Parr died at the age of 152 years 9 months." He was treated as a spectacle in London, but the change in food apparently led to his death. The king arranged for him to be buried at Westminster Abbey complete with a monument.

Early History of the Pars family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pars research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1434, 1461, 1483, 1512, 1517, 1543, 1547, 1548, 1592, 1644, 1725 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Pars History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pars Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Pars are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Pars include: Parr, Par, Parre and others.

Early Notables of the Pars family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Thomas Parr (1407-1461), an English landowner and elected Member of Parliament six times; and his son, William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal, KG (1434-1483), an English courtier and soldier; and his son, Sir Thomas Parr (c...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pars Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pars family to Ireland

Some of the Pars family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pars migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Pars or a variant listed above:

Pars Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Marianne Pars, aged 34, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1785 5

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)