Amherst History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Amherst dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the locality of Amherst, in the parish of Pembury in Kent.

Early Origins of the Amherst family

The surname Amherst was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Amherst, in the parish of Pembury. They held a family seat, some say, about the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey initiated by Duke William of Normandy in 1086, although this book does not show the record in the county of Kent. The pedigree is only traceable to the year 1400 but the Harleian manuscripts show the name to be seated at Amherst in the early 1200's and from this source Earl Amherst was shown to represent this ancient family seated at Amhurst (ancient spelling).

Early History of the Amherst family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Amherst research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1697, 1742, 1758 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Amherst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Amherst Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Amherst have been found, including Amherst, Amhirst, Amhearst and others.

Early Notables of the Amherst family

More information is included under the topic Early Amherst Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Amherst migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Amherst, or a variant listed above:

Amherst Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ri Amherst, who landed in Virginia in 1666 1

Amherst Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Z Amherst, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 1

Amherst migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Amherst Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edward Amherst, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Contemporary Notables of the name Amherst (post 1700) +

Francis Kerril Amherst (1819-1883), English Catholic prelate, son of Mr. Amherst, of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and brother of the Rev. William Amherst, S.J
Jeffrey Amherst (1717-1797), Baron Amherst, English field-marshal, the second son of Jeffrey Amherst, of Riverhead, Kent
William Pitt Amherst (1773-1857), 1st Earl Amherst, English, Governor-General of India
William Alexander Evering Cecil Amherst CBE, 3rd Baron Amherst of Hackney, Major in the Royal Horse Guards
Jeffery John Archer Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, British general in North America during the French and Indian War
Jeffrey John Archer Amherst, 5th Earl Amherst, nobleman
Perry Amherst Carpenter (1881-1957), American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from Livingston County, 1909; Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 39th District, 1912. Co-author of mathematics and algebra textbooks
Lieutenant Colonel Amherst Barrow "Brownie" Whatman MBE (1909-1984), English wireless operator, radio engineer and explorer; he was wireless operator on the Oxford University Arctic Expedition (1935-1936)
Amherst W. Stone, American politician, Justice of Colorado Territorial Supreme Court, 1875-76 2
Amherst Wight Jr., American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Westchester County 2nd District, 1873-74 3

The Amherst Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Victoriam concordia crescit
Motto Translation: Concord insures victory.

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html