| ![Show Contents]() Cheshire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The origins of the Cheshire name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Cheshire was originally derived from a 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 Cheshire familyThe surname Cheshire 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 Cheshire familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cheshire 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 Cheshire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cheshire Spelling VariationsBefore English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Cheshire include Chessire, Cheeshire, Cheshyre, Cheshire, Chesser, Chesshyre, Chesher, Chesshere, Chessor, Chessyre, Chessheire and many more. Early Notables of the Cheshire familyDistinguished members of the family include - 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...
- Sir John Chesshyre (1662-1738), was an English lawyer, son of Thomas Chesshyre of Halwood, near Runcorn, Cheshire, born on 11 Nov. 1662. He entered as a student at the Inner Temple on 16 June 1696, to...
In the United States, the name Cheshire is the 12,872nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3  Migration of the Cheshire family to Ireland
Some of the Cheshire 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.
| Cheshire migration to the United States | + |
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Cheshire Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- William Cheshire, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 4
Cheshire Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Thomas Cheshire, who settled in New England in 1700
- John Cheshire, who arrived in Maryland in 1731
Cheshire Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Peter Cheshire, aged 19, who landed in New York in 1854 4
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Cheshire Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- George Cheshire, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
- James Cheshire, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
- William Cheshire, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
- Geo Cheshire, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
- Mary Cheshire, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: - Joseph Cheshire, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
- William Cheshire, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on March 6, 1848, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Cheshire Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- George Cheshire, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
| Contemporary Notables of the name Cheshire (post 1700) | + |
- Brigadier-General Godfrey Cheshire (1893-1972), American Commanding Officer 55th Field Artillery Brigade (1941) 6
- Geoffrey Chevalier Cheshire (b. 1886), English law teacher and jurist
- Air Chief Marshall Sir Walter Cheshire,
- Mrs. Sally Kaye Cheshire C.B.E., British Chair for Human Fertilisation and Embryology Chair for Health Education England (North) was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 17th June 2017, for services to the NHS and Infertility Patients
- Mr. Brent Cheshire C.B.E., British former Chairman for DONG Energy UK Ltd, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for service to the Renewable Energy Sector 7
- Group Captain Leonard Geoffrey Cheshire (1917-1992), Baron Cheshire, British RAF pilot during the Second World War who received the Victoria Cross
- Geoffrey Cheshire, Barrister
- Joseph Cheshire Cotten Jr., (1905-1994), American actor, known for his roles in Citizen Kane (1941), The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), and Journey into Fear (1943), The Third Man (1949), eponym of the Joseph Cotten Show (1956-1957)
- Joseph Cheshire Cotton (1905-1994), award-winning American actor of stage and film 8
- 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)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land or Port Phillip, Australia in 1848 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1848
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, November 3) Godfrey Cheshire. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Cheshire/Godfrey/USA.html
- "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
- Joseph Cotton. (Retrieved 2011, January 21) Joseph Cotton. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Cotten
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Cheshire migration to the United States 
Cheshire migration to Canada 
Cheshire migration to Australia 
Cheshire migration to New Zealand 
England
Ireland
