Show ContentsEvershed History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Evershed family

The surname Evershed was first found in Surrey where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Eversheds Farm in Ockley. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1] indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Evershed which was held by Richard FitzGilbert who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. This Norman Baron apparently built a castle in Ockley.

Early History of the Evershed family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Evershed research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1696 is included under the topic Early Evershed History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Evershed Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Evershead, Evershed, Evershad, Eversheed and many more.

Early Notables of the Evershed family

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


United States Evershed migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Evershed Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Evershed, who settled in New York in 1832
  • John Evershed, who landed in New York in 1836 [2]
  • Edward Evershed, who settled in New York in 1851
  • C. Evershed, who arrived in Victoria, BC in 1862

Canada Evershed migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Evershed Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • C Evershed, who arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862

Australia Evershed migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Evershed Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Evershed, English convict who was convicted in Newington, London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia [3]

New Zealand Evershed 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:

Evershed Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Montague Frederick Evershed a surgeon, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Agnes Muir" in 1872 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Evershed (post 1700) +

  • James Evershed Agate (1877-1947), English critic


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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