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Benchere is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Oxfordshire. The name is thought to be descriptive of someone who lived near a bank, or an area of raised ground, and is derived from the Old English word, benche, of the same meaning, although this derivation and meaning are by no means certain. Another source claims the "surname is derived from an official title. 'the bencher,' the banker.' Very early instances of some office in legal or exchequer matters." 1
The surname Benchere was first found in Oxfordshire, where one of the first records of the family appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as Roger de Bencher. The Writs of Parliament in 1298 list Robert le Banker and John le Bancker (London) in 1300. 1
Another source claims that Cheshire is the first place of origin as Albrice le Baunker was listed there in the Feet of Fines of 1245. Later, Thomas Bankar was listed in Northumberland in 1358. 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benchere research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1296, 1500, 1665, 1674, 1695, 1696, 1707, 1709 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Benchere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Benchere family name include Bencher, Banker, Benchere, Buncher, Benchaire and many more.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Benchere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Benchere surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Banker who arrived in New York in 1822.