Parde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Parde family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the region of Parr which was known in Lancashire as an enclosed area. having derived from the English word "pearr," 1

Parde is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

One source notes: "I ventured to derive this surname from Peter, and this, through the French Pierre, is probably the true origin of it in some cases; but a correspondent (the Rev. Henry Parr) says: 'it is derived from the manor of Parr in Lancashire, which is also a township, and of late years has become a chapelry. There all my ancestors were settled from the XIII. century, and there is sufficient reason for concluding, that every family bearing the name has branched out from the same parent stock.' " 2

Early Origins of the Parde family

The surname Parde was first found in Lancashire at Parr, a township in the parish of Prescot where one of the first records of the family was John Parr, rector of the church of St. Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire in December 1367. 3

"The family of Parre or Parr, barons of Kendal, were anciently lords of the manor. Sir Thomas Parre, master of the wards and comptroller to Henry VIII., died in the 9th year of that king's reign, leaving two sons and two daughters, of whom one of the latter, Catherine, became the unfortunate queen of Henry VIII. His son, William, inherited the estates, and was successively created lord Parr and Ross, Baron of Hart, earl of Essex, and marquess of Northampton." 4

Sir John Parr (c. 1371), the progenitor of the Parr family which included Catherine Parr (1512-1548), Queen of England. Without a doubt, one of the most famous of the family in the early years was Thomas Parr (1483-1635), the Englishman who was said to have lived for 152 years. Often referred to as Old Parr or Old Tom Parr, his portrait hangs at Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, with an inscription which reads "Thomas Parr died at the age of 152 years 9 months." He was treated as a spectacle in London, but the change in food apparently led to his death. The king arranged for him to be buried at Westminster Abbey complete with a monument.

Early History of the Parde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parde research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1434, 1461, 1483, 1512, 1517, 1543, 1547, 1548, 1592, 1644, 1725 and 1791 are included under the topic Early Parde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parde Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Parde include Parr, Par, Parre and others.

Early Notables of the Parde family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Thomas Parr (1407-1461), an English landowner and elected Member of Parliament six times; and his son, William Parr, 1st Baron Parr of Kendal, KG (1434-1483), an English courtier and soldier; and his son, Sir Thomas Parr (c...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Parde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Parde family to Ireland

Some of the Parde family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Parde family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Parde or a variant listed above: Joe Parr, who arrived in St. Christopher in 1635; Robert Parr, who came to Virginia in 1637; Thomas Parr settled in Virginia in 1651; and George Parr and his wife, who settled in Barbados in 1678..

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.