Flesher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The distinguished Flesher family finds its origin with the proud Norman people. Although the Normans came from France, they were actually of Viking origin. The Vikings landed in the Orkneys and northern Scotland under their king, Stirgud the Stout, around 870. Subsequently, led by their jarl, Thorfinn Rollo, they invaded France around 911. After Rollo laid siege to Paris, King Charles the Simple of France finally conceded defeat and granted northern France to Rollo, who became the first Duke of Normandy.
The Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Robert Flechier in Normady in 1198, so not all of the family emigrated to England with the Conquest. 1
Flesher is of the common type of surnames known as the occupational name. Such a surname would have been taken from the primary vocation of an ancestor of the bearer; in this case, one who makes arrows. 2 3
Early Origins of the Flesher family
The surname Flesher was first found in at the Forest of Hutton in Yorkshire. They were originally descended from Jean de La Fleche, a Norman noble, who was granted lands by King William. His descendant, Sir Bernard Fletcher moved north and was granted lands in Roxburghshire by King David of Scotland.
They later moved further north to Aberdeen, and became one of the first settlers in Glenorchy, and entered into a bond with the Stewarts. Although the Campbells dominated the Glenorchy region, the two clans enjoyed a relatively friendly relationship. The family also had a good relationship with the Stewarts of Apin for whom they helped recover cattle stolen by the MacDonalds.
Not all of the family moved to Scotland, as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 attest: Ralph le Fleccher and Nicholas le Flecher were listed in Lincolnshire; and Adam le Flecher and Henry le Fletcher were listed in Northamptonshire a that time. Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Robertus Fleger as residing there and holding lands. 2
Early History of the Flesher family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flesher research. Another 217 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1338, 1340, 1374, 1461, 1489, 1548, 1579, 1585, 1611, 1613, 1619, 1623, 1625, 1633, 1655, 1661, 1666, 1679, 1689, 1690, 1691, 1700, 1712, 1713, 1716, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Flesher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Flesher Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Fletcher, Flescher, Flegiar, Fletcheour, Fleshar, Fleggeour, Fleshour, Flager, Fledger, Fleschor, Flechyr, Flessor, Flesser, Flesher, Fleager, Flegger and many more.
Early Notables of the Flesher family
Notable among the family at this time was Sir Bernard Fletcher from Yorkshire who was the progenitor of the families of Salton and Inverpeffer branches; Giles Fletcher, the elder (c. 1548-1611), an English writer and diplomat, member of the English Parliament and was later the treasurer of St. Paul's; his son, Giles Fletcher, the younger (c. 1585-1623) was a poet in his own right; John Fletcher (1579-1625), a Jacobean playwright, he followed William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men; Christian Fletcher, Lady Abercrombie, (1619-1691) a...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Flesher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Flesher Ranking
In the United States, the name Flesher is the 9,575th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4
Migration of the Flesher family to Ireland
Some of the Flesher family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Flesher migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Flesher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- J. Flesher, who landed in Philadelphia in 1753
- Johans Flesher, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754 5
Flesher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Flesher, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Flesher migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Flesher Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Miss Jane Ann Flesher, (b. 1864), aged 4 months, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 6
- Mr. William Flesher, (b. 1838), aged 26, British shoemaker travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 6
- Mrs. Dorothy Flesher, (b. 1839), aged 25, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 6
- Mr. Alfred Richard Flesher, (b. 1863), aged 1, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 6
Contemporary Notables of the name Flesher (post 1700) +
- W. A. Flesher, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Ritchie County, 1907-10 7
- Maxwell W. Flesher, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Cabell County, 1934 7
- Greg Flesher, American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of Waukegan, Illinois, 2009 7
- G. S. Flesher, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1912 7
- F. DeMiah Flesher, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1960 7
- Arthur B. Flesher, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Pleasants County, 1913-14 7
Citations +
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html