The name Betters is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a coppersmith or a dealer in baterie. The surname Betters is possibly derived from the Old French word bateor, meaning one who beats, a term which has been applied to a beater of cloth or fuller. The surname may also be a short form of the word orbatour, which means a beater of gold.
The surname Betters was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Betters research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1166, 1200, 1273, 1349, 1369, 1777, 1635 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Betters History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Betters include Beater, Beeter, Beatere, Betere, Batere, Bettere and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include Richard Batere, a prominent 12th century landholder in Berkshire; and Thomas Patrick Betterton (ca. 1635 - 1710), English actor buried in Westminster Abbey. He "was born in Tothill Street, Westminster, and was apprenticed by his father, who was under-cook to Charles I, to a bookseller. These are...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Betters Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Betters were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: