Skerritt History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsBoth the Anglo-Norman invaders and the Irish had their own methodologies and customs for surnames. The Irish, in particular, had a system of hereditary surnames. Although the name Skerritt is a form of the hereditary name, it is an occupational surname, a form more common to the Anglo-Normans. Occupational surnames were derived from a word describing the actual job done by the name bearer. Early Strongbownians often used the French prefix le, meaning the, but the convention quickly disappeared in Ireland. The surname came from a common occupational name for a house keeper or butler. The surname Skerritt originally took the form Scared, which is an abbreviation of Huscared. This in turn is a corruption of Huscarle which means house care. Early Origins of the Skerritt familyThe surname Skerritt was first found in Devon, where they held a family seat after the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. They were conjecturally descended from Alfred le Breton, who was granted the lands by William the Conqueror, and was Lord of the manor of Petertavy in Devon. Early History of the Skerritt familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Skerritt research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1378, 1414, 1415, 1417, 1418, 1491, 1492, 1513, 1531, 1532, 1556, 1557, 1580, 1583, 1594, 1595, 1605, 1606, 1620, 1642 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Skerritt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Skerritt Spelling VariationsChurch officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Skerritt, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Skerritt, Skerratt, Skerrett, Skerit, Skeret, Scared, Scarrett, Scarrutt and many more. Early Notables of the Skerritt familyNotable amongst the family up to this time was Richard Scared, Provost of Galway in 1378; Walter Skerrett, Provost of Galway (1414-1415) and (1417-1418); John Skerrett, 7th Mayor of Galway (1491-1492); James Skerrett, Mayor of Galway (1531-1532); William Skerrett, Mayor of Galway (1556-1557); Roland Skerrett, Mayor of Galway (1594-1595); John Skerrett fitz William, Mayor of Galway (1605-1606)...
In the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Skerritt: Skerritt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Skerritt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Empress of Ireland
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