Chesheire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Chesheire

What does the name Chesheire mean?

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Chesheire is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in the maritime county of Cheshire. "The name is a contraction of Chestershire. At the time of the Roman invasion, the county formed part of the territory occupied by the Cornavii; in the first division of Britain by the Romans it was included in Britannia Superior, and in their subsequent subdivision became part of Flavia Cæsariensis. Under the Saxons it was a portion of the powerful kingdom of Mercia; and upon the division of England into three great districts by Alfred, it was comprehended in that called Mercenlege, or the "Mercian jurisdiction." Cheshire is within the diocese of Chester, and province of York." 1

Early Origins of the Chesheire family

The surname Chesheire was first found in the Close Rolls where Thomas de Chastirshir was listed 6 Edward II (during the sixth year reign of King Edward II.) The Yorkshire Poll Taqx Rolls of 1379 list Henricus de Chesterschyr. 2

Early History of the Chesheire family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chesheire research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1622, 1662, 1695, 1696, 1705, 1711, 1714, 1727, 1738 and 1762 are included under the topic Early Chesheire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chesheire Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Chesheire has been spelled many different ways, including Chessire, Cheeshire, Cheshyre, Cheshire, Chesser, Chesshyre, Chesher, Chesshere, Chessor, Chessyre, Chessheire and many more.

Early Notables of the Chesheire family

Henry Cheshire, Sheriff of Dublin, who died in the year 1622. John Cheshire (1695-1762), was an English physician, "stated to have been educated at Oxford, although he does not seem to have graduated there." 3 Sir John Chesshyre (1662-1738), was an English lawyer, son of Thomas Chesshyre of Halwood, near Runcorn, Cheshire, born on...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chesheire Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chesheire family to Ireland

Some of the Chesheire 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.

Chesheire migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Chesheires to arrive in North America:

Chesheire Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jim Chesheire, who landed in Virginia in 1657 4

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)