| {{ad}} |
|
|
|
| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The origins of the Presler name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in or near a clearing in a wood owned by priests. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English elements preost, which means priest, and leah, which means forest clearing. The name as a whole therefore means "dweller in or near the forest clearing owned by priests." 1 There are several places that have this name; they are found in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire.
The surname Presler was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire where the "surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Priestley' (i.e the priest's meadow), some small estate in the near neighbourhood of Bradford." 2
However, we must look to the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire to find the first record of the family. For it is there that Samson de Presteleia was listed in 1198. From this Latin version, the name had evolved to Richard de Presteley who was listed in Yorkshire in 1297. 1
Kirby's Quest lists Walter Prestlegh in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) 3 Later, the following two entries were found at Hipperholme, near Bradford, Yorkshire during the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Elena de Presteley; and Johannes de Presteley. 2
Another source agrees with the Yorkshire origin, but notes "the ancient seat and inheritance of the family was in Soyland and Sowerby, in the parish of Halifax." 4
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Presler research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1661, 1700, 1733, 1734, 1739, 1742, 1745, 1760, 1764, 1777, 1779, 1804 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Presler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Presler were recorded, including Priestley, Priestly, Preistley,Pressley and others.
Distinguished members of the family include Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), English theologian and man of science, eldest of six children of Jonas Priestley (1700-1779), a cloth-dresser, by his first wife, Mary (d. 1739), only child of Joseph Swift of Shafton, near Wakefield, was born at Fieldhead, a wayside farmhouse in the parish of Birstall, West Eiding of Yorkshire, on 13 March 1733. His father became bankrupt in 1777. Timothy Priestley [q. v.] was a younger brother. His parents were members of the congregational church at Upper Chapel, Heckmondwike; but his grandfather, Joseph Priestley (1661-1745), a woollen manufacturer, attended the parish church at...
Another 147 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Presler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Presler is the 18,501st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Presler family emigrate to North America:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: