Lidster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Lidster is a name that was formed by the Anglo-Saxon society of old Britain. The name was thought to have been used for someone who once worked as a "litster" or dyer, a trade-name for a person who dyed clothes and other fabrics. This surname is derived from the Old English words lite and litte, which both mean to dye.

Early Origins of the Lidster family

The surname Lidster was first found in Yorkshire where today it is one of the most populous surname in that shire. Early records show "Lystare, clothe dyynge (or lytaster of clothe dyynge." "The pedigree is traced to the sixth of Edward II., when John de Lister was resident of Derby. The elder line was of Mydhope, or Middop." 1 He later transferred himself to Yorkshire on his marriage with the daughter and heiress of John de Bolton 2

Gisburn in the West Riding of Yorkshire "was for many generations the seat of the family of Lister, whose descendant, Lord Ribblesdale, is lord of the manor. Gisburn Park is a noble mansion, containing a valuable collection of paintings; the park is extensive, and approached by a handsome lodge. The Lister family are interred in a vault in the church." 3

"Manningham Hall, [in Manningham, in the West Riding of Yorkshire] the seat of E. C. Lister Kaye, Esq., is a handsome mansion, erected on the site of the ancient house of the Lister family, taken down in 1770, and is surrounded by a park." 3

Early History of the Lidster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lidster research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1296, 1534, 1555, 1597, 1638, 1639, 1658, 1668, 1705, 1707, 1712, 1715, 1718, 1791 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Lidster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lidster 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 Lidster include Lister, Litster, Lidster and others.

Early Notables of the Lidster family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Michael Lister, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1534; Sir Martin Lister (c. 1638-1712), English naturalist and physician, eponym of the Dorsa Lister ridge on the Moon; Anne Lister (1791-1840) was a well-off Yorkshire landowner, diarist and traveler; Thomas Lister (1597-1668), English Colonel in the Parliamentary army during the...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lidster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lidster migration to the United States +

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 Lidster were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Lidster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary Lidster, who arrived in Iowa in 1884 4
Mary Ann Lidster, who landed in Iowa in 1884 4
Susie Lidster, who arrived in Iowa in 1884 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Lidster (post 1700) +

George Lidster, American head men's soccer coach at George Washington University
Joseph Lidster, English television writer best known for his work on the series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures
John Ronald "Ronnie" Lidster (1916-2008), British artist, archaeologist and curator
John Douglas Andrew Lidster (b. 1960), retired Canadian NHL ice hockey defenceman who played from 1983 to 1999

The Lidster 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: Retinens vestigia famae
Motto Translation: Still treading the footsteps of an honourable ancestry.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)