Calverte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Calverte reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Calverte family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest in 1066. Calverte is a name for a person who tended cattle. 1

"Calvert is a characteristic Yorkshire name, and is at present best represented in the Richmond district, but still survives in York. The Calverts, of Danby Wiske, were an old North Riding family. Sir George Calvert, the first lord of Baltimore and the first planter in Maryland, was from this stock." 2

Early Origins of the Calverte family

The surname Calverte was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was Warin le Calvehird. The name was originally spelt Calbert or Caubert, having been derived from Abbeville, France and no doubt some of the family came to England during the Conquest and seen by David de Calvert holding lands by knight service in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1203. 3

But Yorkshire would be the stronghold of the name as seen by the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listing: Johanna Calfhird; Johannes Calvehyrd; and Magota Calvehird who were all listed in that shire. 1

Further to the north in Scotland, "Johannes Calfhyrd witnessed confirmation of Snadoun to the Abbey of Dryburgh, c. 1350. William Calwart, notary public in Arnbroath, 1467, and another William Cauart in the regality of Arnbroath is mentioned, 1535." 4

Early History of the Calverte family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calverte research. Another 227 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1269, 1404, 1563, 1567, 1579, 1601, 1605, 1606, 1611, 1624, 1628, 1632, 1637, 1647, 1669, 1675, 1679, 1688, 1715, 1734 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Calverte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calverte Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Calverte are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Calverte include Calvert, Calbert, Calverte, Calvart, Celvert, Kelvert, Kallvart, Kalvart, Callvert, Callbert, Cellvert, Calwert, Cavart, Cailvairt, Calwart and many more.

Early Notables of the Calverte family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, (1579-1632), 8th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland, an English politician and colonizer, namesake of Baltimore, Maryland; Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605-1675), an English peer, the first Proprietor and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland, and ninth Proprietary Governor of the Colony of Newfoundland...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Calverte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Calverte family to Ireland

Some of the Calverte family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Calverte family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Calverte, or a variant listed above: George Calvert who settled in Maryland in 1634; along with Leonard Calvert; Edward Calvert settled in Virginia in 1653; Margaret Calvert settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1683.

The Calverte Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fatti masghii parole femine
Motto Translation: Deeds are masculine, words feminine.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
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)