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Kempster History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Kempster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Kempster is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a 'kembster,' a wool-comber. 1 Traditionally a female occupation, early rolls note "Agnes," and "Alice" as in Alice le Kembester in Cheshire 1302-1303. 2 One source notes the name could have originated in Kempston in either Bedfordshire or Norfolk. 3

Early Origins of the Kempster family

The surname Kempster was first found in Huntingdonshire where Agnes Kembestere was recorded in 1252. Later in Oxfordshire, Dionisia le Kemstere was listed at Oseney in 1317 and later again, Agnes Kempster was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one entry for the family, that of Peter Cambestre in Cambridgeshire. In Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Agnes Kembester; Johanna Saper, kemster; and Robertus Kembster. 1

Early History of the Kempster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kempster research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1627, 1684, 1715, 1747, 1791 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Kempster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kempster Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Kempster are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Kempster include Kemper, Kempster, Kemster and others.

Early Notables of the Kempster family

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

Kempster migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Kempster or a variant listed above:

Kempster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Daniel Kempster, who settled at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635
Daniel Kempster, who arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1647 5

Kempster Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Susanna Kempster, who settled in Maryland in 1725

Kempster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Kempster, who landed in New York in 1834 5

Kempster migration to Australia +

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

Kempster Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Kempster, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. John Kempster, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 7
Mr. Thomas Kempster, British Convict who was convicted in Hertfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 7
Mr. John Kempster, (b. 1824), aged 16, British Ploughman who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 10 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1891 8
George Kempster, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1848 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kempster 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:

Kempster Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Michael Kempster, aged 16, a blacksmith, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856

Contemporary Notables of the name Kempster (post 1700) +

Ken Kempster (b. 1967), Canadian musician from Halifax, Nova Scotia
James Kempster (1892-1975), Irish cricketer for the Ireland National Team (1920-1922)
Major André Gilbert Kempster (1916-1943), British officer in the Second World War, posthumously awarded the George Cross"...in recognition of most conspicuous gallantry in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner"
Albert Joseph Kempster (1875-1952), British two-time bronze medalist sport shooter at the 1908 Summer Olympics and the 1912 Summer Olympics
Michael Kempster, Recorder of the British Crown Court

Historic Events for the Kempster family +

HMS Royal Oak

Arthur Kempster (1920-1939), British Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 10

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BOLTON 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Bolton.htm
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html