Sheer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Today's generation of the Sheer family bears a name that was brought to England by the wave of emigration that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman name Essira which is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 2 Additionally, the name is derived from the Old English "scir", meaning "fair, bright." 3 4

Early Origins of the Sheer family

The surname Sheer was first found in Surrey where they held a family seat from ancient times being Lords of the Manor of Shere recorded in the Domesday Book Survey taken in 1086 A.D. as being 'King's Land' and consisting of a church and mills. 5

The original name of the village of Shere was 'Essira' and it may be taken that this was also the original spelling of the surname, taken from an unknown Norman noble who entered into England with William the Conqueror in 1066.

However, we must look to Berkshire to find the first entry of the family, that of Walter Leschir who was listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1193. Later, Reginald le Scher was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire in 1327. 6

Early History of the Sheer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheer research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1666, 1668, 1685, 1710, 1716, 1766 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Sheer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Sheer have been found, including Shere, Sheres, Shear, Shears, Sheares, Sheare, Sheares, Sheer, Sheers, Sheere, Sheeres, Shire, Shires, Shiers, Shier, Shiere, Sheir, Sheirs, Sheire and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Henry Sheeres (died 1710), English military engineer and author, was son of Henry Sheeres of Deptford, a captain in the Navy...
On his return in 1668 he became good friends with Pepys, who took a strong liking for him, but his attachment cooled owing to the advances which Sheeres, who was something of a poet, made to Pepys's w...

Migration of the Sheer family to Ireland

Some of the Sheer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheer migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Sheer were among those contributors:

Sheer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Veronica Sheer, aged 46, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 7

Sheer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Sheer, aged 40, who landed in New York in 1854 7

Sheer migration to Australia +

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

Sheer Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Sheer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheer (post 1700) +

Gordon Sheer (b. 1971), retired American luger who competed in two Winter Olympics
Denise Sheer, Professor of Human Genetics at Queen Mary, University of London
Ireen Sheer (b. 1949), German-British pop singer

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Buckinghamshire.htm