{{ad}} |
|
|
Origins Available: |
| England |
This ancient name derives its name from "Cherde, Cerde, which name is traditionally derived from Cerdic, the West-Saxon king." 1
The surname Chards was first found in Somerset at Chard, a borough, market-town, and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Kingsbury-East. "This was a place of considerable importance during the heptarchy, and was by the Saxons called Cerdre (subsequently Cherde or Cerde), a name supposed to be derived from Cerdic, the founder of the kingdom of Wessex. In the 14th of Edward I. it was incorporated by Bishop Joslin, who set apart fifty-two acres out of his manor of Cherde" 2
Another reference claims the Saxons called the place Cerdren 3 in 1065 but was listed three years later in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Cerdre. 4 Literally the place name possibly meant "house or building in rough ground," from the Old English words "ceart" + "aern." 3 5
One of the first records of the family was John Chard who was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 6
Years later, John ate Charde was listed in the Assize Rolls for Wiltshire in 1281 and later again, Hugh de Cherde was found at Glastonbury, Somerset in 1335. 5
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chards research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1765, 1787, 1802, 1812, 1832 and 1849 are included under the topic Early Chards 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 Chards family name include Chard, Charde, Chards and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: George William Chard, born about 1765. He received his early musical education in the choir of St. Paul's under Robert Hudson, Mus. Bac. In 1787 he became lay clerk of Winchester Cathedral, and some years later in 1802 was appointed organist of...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chards 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 Chards surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Anne Chard who settled in Virginia in 1623; John Chard who settled in Barbados in 1634; Joshua settled in Virginia in 1623; Rachel and George arrived in Pennsylvania in 1773..