Ystead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Ystead family

The surname Ystead was first found in Sussex where "the Isteds belong to an old Sussex family conjectured to have come from Eysted, in Sweden, and to have settled in Sussex in the reign of Edward III. " 1

Another source provides more details of the origin: "Probably of local English origin-Highstead, 'the lofty situation.' The family have, however, a tradition of a derivation 'from Eysted, a large maritime town in the province of Schonen, in the kingdom of Sweden.' It is conjectured that they settled at Framfield, co. Sussex, temp. Edward III." 2

But another source postulates the "surname is derived from a geographical locality. probably 'of Irstead,' a parish in Norfolk, twelve miles from Norwich." 3

Helewis' de Heghested was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1296 for Sussex. Thomas Highstede (1473) and Lawrance Histed (1494) were both listed in Cambridgeshire. In this case the name is believed to have originated in Highstead in Sittingbourne, Kent.4

Early History of the Ystead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ystead research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1076, 1084, 1135, 1406, 1510, 1523, 1547, 1553, 1554, 1557, 1600, 1610, 1621, 1631, 1662, 1692, 1702, 1703, 1732, 1740, 1778, 1799 and 1812 are included under the topic Early Ystead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ystead Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Ystead include Isted, Istead, Istede, Ysted, Ystede, Ystead and others.

Early Notables of the Ystead family

Distinguished members of the family include John Isted (fl. 1523-1557), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Hastings in 1547, March 1553 and April 1554. Edward Hasted (1732-1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent, best known for his book, The History and Topographical...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ystead Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ystead family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Citations +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)