Macsherry History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsMacsherry is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Macsherry comes from the Norman name Odinet, from which the more commonly known Odo is derived. Apart from the aforementioned patronymic origin, the place name could also mean "pleasant valley," from the Welsh "hawdd" meaning "pleasant" or "peaceful" and "nant," a "glen or valley." 1 Early Origins of the Macsherry familyThe surname Macsherry was first found in Shropshire at Hodnet, a village and civil parish in the union of Drayton, in the hundred of North Bradford. 2 The first record of the place name was found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Odenet. 3 "The Hodnets, or Hodnetts, derive their name from the Shropshire parish of Hodnet. During the 13th century there was a powerful family in the county that took the name of De Hodenet from either the manor or the parish of the name." 4 Early History of the Macsherry familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Macsherry research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1116 and 1237 are included under the topic Early Macsherry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Macsherry Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Hodenet, Hignett, Hignet, Hodnet, Hodnett, Hodenett, Hodinett, Hodinutt, Hodinut, Hodinott, Hodinot, Hoddenett, Hoddinet, Hoddinutt and many more. Early Notables of the Macsherry familyMore information is included under the topic Early Macsherry Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Macsherry family to IrelandSome of the Macsherry family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Macsherry name or one of its variants: Macsherry Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
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