The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Dyre. It was given to a deer, where in early times it was used as a term of endearment. The surname Dyre originally derived from the Old English Dyri. The name could also have been derived from the Old English word deag, which meant "dye." As a surname, Dyre was likely an occupational name for a "dyer of cloth." [1] In ancient Latin documents, the trade and surname was listed as "tinctor" and has a French equivalent of Teinturier.
The surname Dyre was first found in Oxfordshire where one the first records of the family was John le Deyere who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. There was quite a few early records of the family in Somerset. Kirby's Quest of Somerset listed: John Dyar; Richard le Dyghar; John le Dyghar, as all having lived there temp. 1 Edward III. Richard le Dyer, of Kiderminster was rector of Fincham, Norfolk in 1333. [2] [3]
In Scotland early records used the Latin form "tinctor." Henry tinctor was listed in Dumfriesshire, c. 1259 and Roger tinctor held land in Aberdeen in 1332. John Dyer called 'talp,' was admitted burgess of the same town in 1436. [4]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dyre research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1273, 1260, 1333, 1382, 1543, 1607, 1596, 1685, 1680, 1682, 1699, 1757, 1611, 1660 and 1697 are included under the topic Early Dyre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Dyre has appeared include Dyer, Dyers, Dyar, Dier, Dyars, Dieres, Dire, Dires and many more.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Edward Dyer (1543-1607) English poet in the court of Elizabethan I, he was knighted and made chancellor of the Order of the Garter in 1596; William Dyre (died 1685), Englishman who served as the 13th Mayor of New York City (1680 to 1682); John Dyer (1699-1757), a Welsh poet; and Mary Barrett Dyer (c.1611-1660), an English Puritan turned Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts for repeatedly defying a law banning Quakers from...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dyre Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Dyre 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.
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 Dyre arrived in North America very early: