Caree History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Caree surname is thought to be derived from the manor of Carrey, near Lisieux, Normandy. Some instances of this name come from Welsh and Cornish origins and are variations of the name Carew. Most of the Irish variations of this name are Anglicized forms of the Gaelic Ó Ciardha.

Early Origins of the Caree family

The surname Caree was first found in Somerset, at Castle Cary, a market town and civil parish in south Somerset. The place dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Cari 1 and later in 1237, the place was recorded as Castelkary. It is generally believed that the castle was built by Walter of Douai (c.1046-1107), a Norman knight. The place was named after the River Cary. 2

John Cary (d. 1395?), was an early English judge, son of Sir John Cary, (d.1371), knight, bailiff of the forest of Selwood in Wiltshire, knight of the shire for Devon in 1362 and 1368. The young John Cary was created Chief Baron of the Exchequer 5 Nov. 1386, but two years later was impeached. "He was condemned to death, but the sentence having been commuted for one of banishment, he was transported to Waterford and confined within a circuit of two miles round the city. He died about 1395 or 1396. His estates at Torrington and Cockington, which had been confiscated, were restored to his son, probably in 1402." 3

Again in Devon, we find "the extensive parish of St. Giles-in-the-Wood, so called to distinguish it from St. Giles-in-the-Heath, which lies on the borders of Cornwall, and which contains the manor of Cary, reputedly the original home of the Cary family." 4

"Castle Cary probably derived its name from an ancient castle originally belonging to a lord of the name of Carey, which was defended against King Stephen by its owner, Lord Lovell, one of whose descendants having embraced the cause of the deposed monarch, Richard II., it became forfeited to the crown. " 5

Also in early days, the family was found at Leppington in the East Riding of Yorkshire. "The Carey family formerly possessed a castellated mansion here, and a member of it was created Baron Carey, of Leppington, in 1622, but the title became extinct about the period of the Restoration. " 5 Other early records were found in Guernsey.

Early History of the Caree family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caree research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1205, 1242, 1288, 1348, 1387, 1393, 1419, 1524, 1575, 1580, 1596, 1608, 1610, 1615, 1621, 1622, 1624, 1629, 1633, 1634, 1643, 1644, 1645, 1654, 1656, 1658, 1659, 1662, 1663, 1666, 1677, 1680, 1681, 1688, 1689, 1693, 1694, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Caree History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caree Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Carey, Carrie, Carrey, Cary and others.

Early Notables of the Caree family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Carey, Baily of Guernsey; Henry Carey (circa 1524-1596), 1st Baron Hunsdon, an English army officer, diplomat, and politician, and a nephew of Anne Boleyn; Henry Carey, 1st Viscount Falkland (c. 1575-1633), an English landowner and politician, Lord Deputy of Ireland (1622-1629); Henry Carey, 1st Earl of Dover (ca.1580-1666), an English peer; John Carey, 2nd Earl of Dover (1608-1677), an English peer; Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland (c. 1610-1643), an English author and politician, he fought on...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Caree Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Caree family to Ireland

Some of the Caree family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 193 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caree migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Caree Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

C Caree, who landed in Cloudy Bay, New Zealand in 1839

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, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.