Cherity History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Cherity

What does the name Cherity mean?

The ancient roots of the Cherity family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Cherity comes from when the family lived in or near to the charity, which was either a dispensary of charity or a hospital that was connected to the church. The surname has Latin origins in the form of Caritatem, which means kindness, generosity and humanity.

Early Origins of the Cherity family

The surname Cherity was first found in Yorkshire where the Close Rolls, 3 Edward I (during the third year of King Edward I's reign) listed: William de la Charity and J. John Charite. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Ricardus Charyte; Willelmus Charite; and Thomas Charite. 1

Early History of the Cherity family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cherity research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1148, 1185, 1195, 1203, 1379, 1422, 1436, 1500, 1502, 1612 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Cherity History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cherity Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Cherity has appeared include Charity, Caritet, Carite, Charite, Charyte, Charitie and many more.

Early Notables of the Cherity family

William Charite (1422-1502), the Prior of St. Mary's Abbey in Leicestershire. He was a monkish writer who compiled a register of St. Mary's Abbey, Leicester. "The register ('Rentale Novum Generale Mon. B. M. de Pratis Leycestrie') contains the rent-roll of the abbey, affording the means of estimating the depreciation of...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cherity Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cherity family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cherity arrived in North America very early: Philip Charitie who arrived in Grenada in 1774.

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)