Cancelor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The Cancelor family finds its ancestral home among the rugged mountains and sea-swept Hebrides islands of Scotland's west coast. In that area, once known as the kingdom of Dalriada, Cancelor evolved as a nickname for a person who performed the duties of a Chancellor, or behaved in an authoritative manner. This surname is a nickname, which derives from the Anglo-Norman-French word c(h)ancelier, which was the name of an administrative position. Typically, this surname was given to someone who held this position.

Early Origins of the Cancelor family

The surname Cancelor was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. There is early record of a composer Philippe Le Chancelier (c.1165-1236).

"From the office of 'chancellor,' either civil or ecclesiastical; an official who kept registers of an order of knighthood, an ecclesiastical judge. An ancient family of this name in Lanarkshire were vassals of the lords of Somerville before 1432. " 1

Further to the south, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed many spellings throughout ancient Britain: Robert le Chaunceler, Cambridgeshire; Alan Chanceler, Norfolk; Walter Chaunceler, Norfolk; Robert le Caunceler, Bedfordshire; Roger le Canceler, Bedfordshire; and William Cancellarius, Oxfordshire. 2

Early History of the Cancelor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cancelor research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1432, 1553, 1554, 1556, 1564, 1681 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Cancelor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cancelor Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages, the translation between Gaelic and English was not a highly developed process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and so, an enormous number of spelling variations appear in records of early Scottish names. Cancelor has appeared as Chancellor, Chansellor, Chanceller, Chancellour and many more.

Early Notables of the Cancelor family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Richard Chancellor (d. 1556), an English navigator; the first to navigate to the White Sea and establish relations with Russia. He was a pupil of the explorer Sebastian Cabot and the geographer John Dee. "He was in 1553 chosen to be captain of the Edward Bonaventure, and 'pilot-general' of the expedition which was fitted out under the command of Sir Hugh Willoughby [q. v.] in the Bona Esperanza, 'for the search and discovery of the northern part of the world,' and especially to look for a north-east...
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cancelor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cancelor family

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Cancelor or a variant listed above: Captain Richard Chancellor from Lanarkshire, who settled in Westmoreland county Virginia in 1682; William Chanceller who settled in Virginia in 1698; as well as Ann, James, Jane, John, Joseph, Robert, Thomas, and William Chancellor, who all arrived in Philadelphia in 1820..

The Cancelor 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: Que je surmonte
Motto Translation: May I excel.

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)