Quattermend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The many generations and branches of the Quattermend family can all place the origins of their surname with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name reveals that an early member worked as a person who was mail-fisted or perhaps the nickname 'four hands.' 1 The surname Quattermend originally derived from the armor that soldiers or knights donned for protection in battle. Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Early Origins of the Quattermend family

The surname Quattermend was first found in Oxfordshire where the first records of the name were Clare Quatremayns and William Quatremeyns who were both listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. A few years later, Thomas Quatremains was listed in the Writs of Parliament in 1313. 2 Digging further into the 'four hands' reference we found: "French for 'four hands' which form the charge of the family shield." 1 Thame in Oxfordshire was home to one branch of the family.

"About the time of Edward IV., an hospital for destitute persons was endowed with lands by Richard Quatremain, a member of a family of high repute. The north transept [of the church] is the burying place of the Dormer family, and the south transept the sepulchral chapel of the Quatremains; both contain handsome monuments." 3

The Quartermaine family is a fictional family from the ABC soap opera, General Hospital and Al(l)an Quatermain is the protagonist of H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel King Solomon's Mines. The character was recently reintroduced with the popular series League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG) and in the eponymous film released in 2003, Sean Connery played the character Alan Quatermain.

Quartermaine's Terms is a play by Simon Gray which won The Cheltenham Prize in 1982.

Early History of the Quattermend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quattermend research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1618, 1662 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Quattermend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quattermend Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Quattermend were recorded, including Quartermain, Quartermaines, Quarterman, Quartermaynes, Quatermain, Quatermaines, Quaterman, Quatermay and many more.

Early Notables of the Quattermend family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Quattermend Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Quattermend family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Quattermend family emigrate to North America: John Quarterman, on record in Virginia in 1742; and Joseph Quartman settled in Philadelphia in 1824.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.