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| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The ancestors of the Amhirst surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the locality of Amherst, in the parish of Pembury in Kent.
The surname Amhirst was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Amherst, in the parish of Pembury. They held a family seat, some say, about the time of the taking of the Domesday Book survey initiated by Duke William of Normandy in 1086, although this book does not show the record in the county of Kent. The pedigree is only traceable to the year 1400 but the Harleian manuscripts show the name to be seated at Amherst in the early 1200's and from this source Earl Amherst was shown to represent this ancient family seated at Amhurst (ancient spelling).
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Amhirst research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1697, 1742, 1758 and 1760 are included under the topic Early Amhirst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Amhirst include Amherst, Amhirst, Amhearst and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Amhirst Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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: