Cherrey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Cherrey was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cherrey family lived in Lincolnshire. They are descended from the line of the House of De Cheries, Seigneurs of Brauvel, Beauval, in Normandy, near Avranches. The name Cherrey is derived from the Anglo Norman French word, cherise, which means cherry, 1 and was probably used to indicate a landmark, such as a cherry tree, which distinguished the location bearing the name.

Early Origins of the Cherrey family

The surname Cherrey was first found in Derbyshire, The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William Chirie. 2 A few years later in 1284, the Assize Rolls of Lancashire list Rober Chyry. The Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk list Richard Chery in 1524. 1

Early History of the Cherrey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cherrey research. Another 198 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1348, 1368, 1484, 1509, 1524, 1665, 1683, 1706, 1713 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cherrey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cherrey Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Cherry, Cherrie, Cherrey, Cherries, Chery, Chearie, Chearry, Cherie and many more.

Early Notables of the Cherrey family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cherrey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cherrey family to Ireland

Some of the Cherrey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cherrey migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Cherrey or a variant listed above:

Cherrey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Abigail Cherrey, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 3

Cherrey migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Cherrey Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Francis Cherrey who settled in Barbados in 1685

The Cherrey 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: Cheris l'espoir
Motto Translation: Cherish hope.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies