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Medhurst History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Medhurst History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Medhurst family

The surname Medhurst was first found in West Sussex at Midhurst, a market town and civil parish in the Chichester district which dates back to 1186 when it was listed as Middleherst and literally meant "middle wooded hill." 1 The village formerly stood within the grounds of Midhurst Castle but the Bishop of Durham dismantled the castle c. 1284. Medhurst Green is a village in Cheshire and Medhurst Row is found in Edenbridge, Kent.

Early History of the Medhurst family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Medhurst research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1402, 1525, 1610, 1759, 1796, 1827 and 1857 are included under the topic Early Medhurst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Medhurst Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Midhurst, Midhirst, Medhurst, Medhirst and others.

Early Notables of the Medhurst family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

George Medhurst (1759-1827), born in Kent, the inventor of a washing machine and a type of railway transport
Walter Henry Medhurst (1796-1857), author and missionary to China

Medhurst migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Medhurst Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Daniel Medhurst, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 2

Medhurst migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Medhurst Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Richard Medhurst, who migrated to Canada in 1834 with his wife and 3 children
Riehd Medhurst, who landed in Canada in 1834

Medhurst migration to Australia +

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

Medhurst Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Medhurst, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. David Medhurst, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
James Medhurst, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Escort"

Medhurst 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:

Medhurst Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Medhurst, aged 31, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
Mary Ann Medhurst, aged 34, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgeway" in 1840
Mr. Charles Medhurst, (b. 1809), aged 31, British agricultural labourer travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 5
Mrs. Mary Ann Medhurst, (b. 1806), aged 34, British settler travelling from England aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th November 1840 5
Joseph Medhurst, aged 37, a carpenter, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Medhurst (post 1700) +

Harry Medhurst (1916-1984), English footballer
George Medhurst (1759-1827), English mechanical engineer and inventor
Walter Henry Medhurst (1796-1857), English writer, translator, and editor, Congregationalist missionary to China
Kenneth Medhurst, American religious scholar, Professor Emeritus of University of Bradford
Cameron Medhurst, Australian figure skater
Paul Medhurst (b. 1981), former professional Australian rules footballer
Natalie Medhurst (b. 1984), Australian netball player
Paul Medhurst (1953-2009), New Zealand cyclist, who won a bronze medal at the 1974 British Commonwealth Games

The Medhurst 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: Adversa virtutue repello
Motto Translation: I repel adversity by virtue.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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 12th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dunvegan-castle
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html