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![Show Contents]() Alstead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancient roots of the Alstead family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Alstead comes from when the family lived in Halstead, a place name found in Essex, Kent, and Leicestershire. The place name is derived from the Old English terms heald, which meant refuge or shelter, and stede, which meant place. The name as a whole means "place of shelter," and probably refers to a place which was well sheltered from the elements. The family name would have meant "dweller at a place of refuge." There is a second origin for this name, making it a polygenetic surname. It may also be occupational, referring to a "worker at the hall buildings," or a person who took care of livestock. Early Origins of the Alstead familyThe surname Alstead was first found in Essex where town and civil parish located in Braintree District. The Domesday Book offers two listing for the place Halstead. The first was listed as Haltesteda 1 in Essex, land held by William de Warenne and part of the Hundred of Hinckford. The land held 2 hides (land enough for two households) less 4 acres where 30 free men lived before the Conquest. Over in Leicestershire, the village Elstede 1 was listed in the same reference as land held by the King, part of Allexton and was 3 carucates of land, less 2 bovates; in other words much smaller than the Essex village. 2 To complicate things more, Halstead is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, but this village is not listed in the Domesday Book. Early History of the Alstead familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alstead research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1181, 1794 and 1878 are included under the topic Early Alstead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Alstead Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Alstead has appeared include Halstead, Halsted and others. Early Notables of the Alstead familyMore information is included under the topic Early Alstead Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Alstead familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Alstead arrived in North America very early: John Halstead who arrived in New York State in 1775; David, and Joseph Halstead arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856; George Halsted settled in Virginia in 1731..
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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