Baxstare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Out of the noble Boernician clans of the ancient Scottish-English border region comes the ancestors of the bearers of the name Baxstare. It is a name for a female baker, who were known as "bakesters". With the continuing development of Old English, the word gradually came to be applied to both men and women. 1 2 3 4

Early Origins of the Baxstare family

The surname Baxstare was first found in Forfarshire part of the Tayside region of North Eastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

"This surname comes from the occupation of "bakester," originally a woman that baked, Old English bsecestre a female baker. In Middle English the ending -esire being unstressed soon lost its final e, and -ster came to be regarded as an emphatic form of -er, and consequently was applied to men as well as women, so that the early Middle English feminine bakstere became later Middle English masculine baxster. In Latin charters the word or name is rendered pistor. Between 1153 and 1177 William pistor witnessed a grant by David Olifard to the Hospital of Soltre and c. 1188-1202 Aldied pistor was one of the witnesses to a charter of the kirk ([church]) of Haddington. Between 1200-1240 Reginald Baxtar witnessed the gift of the church of Wemys in Fife to Soltre. Geffrei le Baxtere of Lossithe of the county of Forfare took the oath of fealty, 1290. Thomas dictus Baxter, burgess of Irvine, made a grant in 1323 for support of a chaplain in the parish church of Irvine, and Hutredus pistor was burgess of Roxburgh, c. 1330." 1

Early History of the Baxstare family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Baxstare research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1296, 1300, 1312, 1323, 1341, 1398, 1467, 1505, 1506, 1512, 1531, 1533, 1615, 1644, 1656, 1659, 1684, 1686, 1687, 1691, 1750, 1781, 1793, 1825, 1836, 1856, 1858, 1863, 1872, 1878 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Baxstare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Baxstare Spelling Variations

Spelling variations occur frequently in Scottish names that date from the medieval era. They result from a general lack of grammatical rules and the tendency to spell names according to sound. Baxstare has been spelled Baxter, Bakster, Baxster, Baxstair, Baxstare and others.

Early Notables of the Baxstare family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was William Baxter, defender of Edinburgh Castle; Richard Baxter (1615-1691) was a Nonconformist divine, a writer, who wrote the masterpiece, "Saint's Everlasting Rest." Andrew Baxter (1686-1750), the Scottish philosophical writer, was born at Aberdeen in 1686 or 1687, and educated at King's College, Aberdeen. His father was a merchant, but Baxter appears to have maintained himself chiefly by acting as tutor to noblemen's sons. 5 Sir David Baxter (1793-1872), was a Dundee manufacturer, the second son of William Baxter, of Balgavies, and was born in Dundee...
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Baxstare Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Baxstare family to Ireland

Some of the Baxstare family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 259 words (18 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Baxstare family

In the 20th century, the ancestors of many of those Boernician-Scottish people still populate North America. They distributed themselves on either side of the border at the time of the War of Independence. United Empire Loyalists went north to Canada and those who wanted a new nation stayed south. Both groups went on to found great nations. Some of the first North American settlers with Baxstare name or one of its variants: George Baxter, who came to New Netherland in 1642; Hen Baxter, who arrived in Virginia in 1654; Hannah Baxter, who settled in Maryland in 1668; Richard Baxter who settled in Charles County in Maryland in 1660 (he was an ancestor of U.S. President John Adams).

The Baxstare 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: Vincit veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print