Vicars History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Vicars surname is was a patronymic name meaning "son of the vicar;" or, perhaps, an occupational name for a servant of the vicar.
Early Origins of the Vicars family
The surname Vicars was first found in Durham, where they had been seated as Lords of the manor in that shire. Although there is a tradition in the family that they were descended from a Spanish Don Vicaro who entered England in the train of Queen Catharine of Aragon, this source should be seriously questioned since the family held a family seat in Durham almost 300 years before when Nickolas Vigrus (Vickers) was Steward or Governor of Tynemouth in 1295. 1
Early History of the Vicars family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vicars research. Another 253 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1215, 1296, 1310, 1338, 1340, 1361, 1396, 1399, 1503, 1580, 1581, 1590, 1591, 1604, 1607, 1611, 1618, 1636, 1641, 1646, 1648, 1652, 1655, 1656, 1660 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Vicars History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Vicars Spelling Variations
Although the name, Vicars, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Vickers, Vickars, Viccars, Vicars, Vigours, Vicax and many more.
Early Notables of the Vicars family
Notable amongst the family name during their early history was
- John Vicars (1580?-1652), English schoolmaster, poetaster, and polemic, descended from a Cumberland stock, was born in London of poor parents about 1580
- Thomas Vicars (fl. 1607-1641), was an English theologian, born in 1590 or 1591, a native of Carlisle
Migration of the Vicars family to Ireland
Some of the Vicars family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Vicars migration to the United States +
Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Vicars family name Vicars, or who bore a variation of the surname were
Vicars Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Vicars, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 2
- Severn Vicars, who settled in Somers Islands in 1673
- Isaac Vicars, who landed in Maryland in 1678 2
Vicars Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Joseph Vicars, who landed in Virginia in 1713 2
Contemporary Notables of the name Vicars (post 1700) +
- William M. Vicars (1906-1959), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Illinois State House of Representatives, 1935-45; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1948 (alternate), 1952 3
- Polly G. Vicars, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1972 3
- Sir Arthur Vicars (1862-1921), Irish (English-born) genealogist and heraldic expert, appointed Ulster King of Arms in 1893
- Hedley Shafto Johnstone Vicars (1826-1855), British officer in the Crimea, born in the Mauritius on 7 Dec. 1826, where his father, Richard Vicars (d. 1839), a captain in the royal engineers
Citations +
- 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)
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html