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![Show Contents]() Rawciter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as Rawciter. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The Rawciter family appears to have originally lived in Wroxeter in the English county of Shropshire, or in Rochester in the English county of Kent. The surname Rawciter belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The Gaelic form of the surname Rawciter is Rosaitear. Early Origins of the Rawciter familyThe surname Rawciter was first found in County Wexford (Irish: Loch Garman), founded by Vikings as Waesfjord, and located in Southeastern Ireland, in the province of Leinster, where they had been granted lands by Strongbow for their assistance in the Anglo/Norman invasion of Ireland in 1172. Early History of the Rawciter familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rawciter research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1172, 1575, 1601, 1618, 1623, 1645 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Rawciter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rawciter Spelling VariationsChurch officials and medieval scribes often simply spelled names as they sounded. As a result, a single person's name may have been recorded a dozen different ways during his lifetime. Spelling variations for the name Rawciter include: Rossiter, Rossitor, Rosseter, Rossetor, Roucester, Rosceter, Roscetor, Rawceter, Rosay, Rawciter, Rowsitter, Rausiter, Rassitor, Rowseter, Russiter, Russeter and many more. Early Notables of the Rawciter familyNotable amongst the family up to this time was Philip Rosseter (1575-1623), lutenist and stage-manager. "In 1601 he published 'A Booke of Ayres, set foorth to the Lute, Orpherian, and Basse Violl,' containing twenty-one songs by Dr...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rawciter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Rawciter familyIn the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Rawciter: John Rosseter settled in Philadelphia in 1802; Elizabeth Rossiter settled in New England with her husband in 1773; E. Rossetor arrived in San Francisco in 1850.
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Ireland
England
