| ![Show Contents]() Smettherst History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Early Origins of the Smettherst familyThe surname Smettherst was first found in Lancashire at either Smethurst or Smithurst, both lost locations that are presumed to have been in the near Rochdale or Bury. 1 One source claims the name is a "habitational name from a minor place near Manchester, so called from the Old English "smeeth" + "hryst." 2 Other sources agree with slightly different spellings: having derived from the words "smeeth" and "hurst" which together meant "the wood of the plain" 3 or "the smith's wood." 4 In early times, the family were Lords of the manor of Chorley in Lancashire as this is where the coat of arms is recorded, but we must look to Cheshire to find the most early records of the family. There we found the Wills at Chester listing Richard Meadowcroft, of Smethurst, 1581; John Smethurst, of Blakeley, 1582; and Richard Smethurst, of Bury, 1618. While Richard Meadowcroft has no known relationship to the family, this source proves that Smethurst still existed in 1581. According to the Register of the University of Oxford, Richard Smethurst, from Cheshire attended there 1591-1592. 1 Early History of the Smettherst familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smettherst research. Another 49 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1881 is included under the topic Early Smettherst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Smettherst Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Smethurst, Smethirst and others. Early Notables of the Smettherst familyMore information is included under the topic Early Smettherst Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Smettherst familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John Smethurst who settled in Virginia in 1699; William Smethurst settled in New England in 1705; Richard, Robert, and Samuel Smethurst all arrived in Philadelphia between 1844 and 1862..
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: Alta peto
Motto Translation: Aim at high things
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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