Soutar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The saga of the name Soutar begins with the people of the Pictish clans. Soutar was a name for a cobbler. The name is derived from the Old English word soutere, which in turn comes from the Old Norse word sutare, which means shoemaker or cobbler. 1 2
We include this excerpt from a 16th century play:
"Of that surname I neid nocht be aschomit
For I con mak schone, butekins and buittis:
Gif me the coppie of the king's cuittis,
And ye sail se, richt sune, quhat I can do."
Sir David Lindsay, Ane Satyre of the Thrie Esteaites, June 1552.
Roughly translated into more modern English:
"Of that surname I need not be ashamed, for I can make schone, butekins, and buittis" (boots) "give me a copy of the king's cuittis and ye shall see, right soon, what I can do."
Early Origins of the Soutar family
The surname Soutar was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.
The first on record was Roger Sutor who held land in Dumfries, a. 1214, and later, Kolin, son of Anegus the Souter, was present at the pleas held at Dull in Angus in 1264. Bernard called Sutor had a charter of a house in the tenement of Drumelzier, c. 1300-1320. Fynlai sutor was prepositus of Stirling, 1327, and in 1330 Symon sutor was prepositus of the burgh of Culan. 3
Further south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 recorded John le Suter, Cambridgeshire; and William le Sutere, Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 elude to the occupational nature of the name: Johannes de Morton, souter; Johannes Schether, souter; Johannes Sowter, sutor; and Adam Souterson, souiert. 4
Early History of the Soutar family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Soutar research. Another 369 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1327, 1375, 1402, 1422, 1438, 1457, 1460, 1464, 1511, 1527, 1586, 1633, 1660 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Soutar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Soutar Spelling Variations
Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Soutar has been spelled Souter, Suter, Sutar, Souttar, Soutar, Sutter, Shuter and many more.
Early Notables of the Soutar family
More information is included under the topic Early Soutar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Soutar 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:
Soutar Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Miss Agnes Soutar, (b. 1844), aged 18, Scottish domestic servant, from Forfarshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 5
- Isabella Soutar, aged 35, a nurse, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1876
Contemporary Notables of the name Soutar (post 1700) +
- David Soutar (b. 1940), American former professional ten-pin bowler on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, ranked 20 on the list of "50 Greatest Players of the Last 50 Years"
- Robert M. Soutar, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from St. Clair County 1st District, 1942; Candidate in primary for Circuit Judge in Michigan 31st Circuit, 1953 6
- Lucille E. Soutar, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1949-51; Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives, 1950, 1954 6
- John Carrick Stuart Soutar (1881-1951), Scottish architect, best known for his designs of buildings in Hampstead Garden Suburb in north London
- Derek Soutar (b. 1981), Scottish professional football goalkeeper
- William Soutar (1898-1943), Scottish poet and diarist, best known for his epigrams
- Kenneth Soutar (1888-1914), English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire in 1908
- Rachael Ann Soutar (b. 1994), Australian footballer
- Robert Soutar (1830-1908), English actor, comedian, stage manager, writer and director for the theatre, father of Joseph Farren Soutar
- Fabian Soutar (b. 1986), New Zealand rugby league player
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Soutar family +
Citations +
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp