Coutlere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Coutlere

What does the name Coutlere mean?

The name Coutlere is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a knife-maker. The surname Coutlere originally derived from the Old French Cotelier. 1

Early Origins of the Coutlere family

The surname Coutlere was first found in London, where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Saleman le Cotiler as holding lands at that time. The same rolls listed Matilda la Cutiller, Lincolnshire. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had some interesting entries as a surname and as an occupation: Ricardus Hyngham, cotteter; Willelmus Cottelar; Thomas Hank, of Handsworth, colder; and Johannes Cotelar, of Handsworth, bakester. "From its frequency I should have expected a larger number of Cutlers in the present directories of that county. "2

Moving further north from Yorkshire into Scotland, it was a Galloway name. "Matthew de Coteleir of Berwick rendered homage in 1296. The Cutlers of Orroland, parish of Rerwick, are said to have obtained the lands from the monks of Dundrennan Abbey in 1437. The local tradition is that the first of the Cutlers who came to the parish was employed in sharpening the tools of the masons engaged in the erection of the abbey and thereby acquired their name. This is most improbable. There is no mention of the family until 1606 when John Cuidar was served heir to his father in Oroland. The surname occurs in Aberdeen in 1460. Hugh Cutler was repledged to liberty of burgh of Irvine, 1472, and Thomas Cutlar possessed a tenement in Brechin, 1493." 3

Early History of the Coutlere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coutlere research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1212, 1412, 1503, 1540, 1608, 1657, 1693, 1698, 1792, 1796, 1803, 1812, 1818, 1821 and 1823 are included under the topic Early Coutlere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coutlere Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Coutlere include Cutler, Cutlere, Cuttler, Coutler, Coutlere, Coutlar, Cutlar, Cutlur, Cutlare, Cuttlar, Cuttlure, Couttler and many more.

Early Notables of the Coutlere family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Cutler (1608?-1693), a wealthy merchant of London, whose avarice, handed down by tradition and anecdote to Pope, has become immortal, was the son of Thomas Cutler, a member of the Grocers' Company, and was born in or about 1608. "Though little scrupulous in his business dealings, he appears to have been ‘one of those contradictory but by no means rare...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coutlere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Coutlere family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Coutlere were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: James Cutler of Watertown, Massachusetts, who settled there in the year 1635. Clinton Cutler also settled in the same year in St. Christopher. Elizabeth Cutler settled in Barbados in 1685..

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)
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)