Chanslar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The name Chanslar is an age-old Dalriadan-Scottish 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 Chanslar family

The surname Chanslar 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 Chanslar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chanslar 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 Chanslar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chanslar Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Chanslar has appeared as Chancellor, Chansellor, Chanceller, Chancellour and many more.

Early Notables of the Chanslar 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 Chanslar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chanslar family

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Chanslar 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 Chanslar 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)