Kimster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Kimster is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to 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 Kimster family

The surname Kimster 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 Kimster family

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

Kimster Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Kimster include Kemper, Kempster, Kemster and others.

Early Notables of the Kimster family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kimster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kimster family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Kimster were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Daniel Kempster, who settled at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635; Daniel Kemper, who sailed to Boston in 1651; Susanna Kempster, who came to Maryland in 1725.

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)