Perish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Perish came from the Saxon tribe called Parisii who originally lived beside the Humber river in Lincolnshire. However, the name may also be of Norman descent as shown by the rather obvious reference to Paris, France. In this case, records show that William, Roger, Walter and Odelina Paris in a Normandy Roll 1180-1185. And about the same time, Hugo, Peter de Paris was listed in England c. 1198. 1

Early Origins of the Perish family

The surname Perish was first found in Lincolnshire where one of the first records of the name was Lotyn de Paris in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls list Robert de Paris in London and Ralph de Paris in Kent. Roger de Paris and Simon de Paris were both listed as living in London during the reign of Edward I. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Johannes de Parys.2

Somerset had an entry for the family: John Parys, who was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 3

John Parisshe, Pareys was listed in Lincolnshire in 1462. Paris Hall in North Weald Bassett, Essex was named from Richard de Paris (1276), and is later recorded as Parrishe in 1593. "This development of final sh from s is found in other names including in 1319 in Wrabenash for Wrabness." 4

By the late 12th century they were granted lands in Scotland by King David and Walter Paris was Bishop of Glasgow in 1202. John Paris rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. Edward Paris was one of those who helped burn down the town of Dumbarton. Elspeth Parris of West Lothian was accused of witchcraft in 1624 (which usually meant she was unwilling to convert her religion). 5

Early History of the Perish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Perish research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1259, 1526, 1582, 1609, 1653, 1666, 1682, 1692, 1720, 1735, 1743 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Perish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Perish Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Perish family name include Paris, Parish, Parris, Parrish, Pares and others.

Early Notables of the Perish family

Distinguished members of the family include Matthew Paris (circa 1200-1259), English Benedictine monk at St Albans, known as a chronicler and manuscript illuminator; James Paris du Plessis (c.1666-1735), English servant of the famous diarist Samuel Pepys; Samuel Parris (1653-1720), the Puritan minister in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Perish Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Perish family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Perish surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Thomas Parris, who settled in Virginia in 1623; Edward and Eleanor Parish, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Thomas Parris, who came to Massachusetts in 1635.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)