| ![Show Contents]() Hermitage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of HermitageWhat does the name Hermitage mean? Hermitage is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Hermitage family once lived in the county of Yorkshire in eastern England. Records show that most, if not all of the bearers of the surname can be traced back to a family living at Hermitage Bridge in Almondbury, near Huddersfield in the 13th century. Early Origins of the Hermitage familyThe surname Hermitage was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Kirkless, a hamlet, in the chapelry of Hartshead cum Clifton, parish of Dewsbury, wapentake of Morley. The hamlet was originally the site of a Cistercian nunnery, founded in the reign of Henry II and later passed to the Pilkingtons and later "to the Armytages, whose mansion formed part of the conventual buildings, till the time of James I., when the family erected Kirklees Hall, the present seat of Sir George Armytage, Bart." 1 Early History of the Hermitage familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hermitage research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1596, 1600, 1629, 1641, 1644, 1652, 1653, 1655, 1660, 1662, 1673, 1677, 1694, 1732, 1736, 1737 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Hermitage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hermitage Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hermitage family name include Armitage, Hermitage, Ermytache, Ermitage, Armitach, Hermitack, Armitack and many more. Early Notables of the Hermitage familyNotables of the family at this time include Timothy Armitage (died 1655), a pastor of the first independent church in the city of Norwich. 2The Armytage Baronetcy, of Kirklees in the County of York, was created on 15 December 1641...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hermitage Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Hermitage family to IrelandSome of the Hermitage family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Hermitage migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hermitage surname or a spelling variation of the name include:
Hermitage Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Sarah Hermitage, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 3
| Hermitage migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Hermitage Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Thomas Hermitage, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
| Hermitage migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Hermitage Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Charles Hermitage, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
- Mr. William Hermitage, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Blundell" on 13th March 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
| Hermitage migration to New Zealand | + |
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: Hermitage Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. John Hermitage, British settler referred to as the Parkhurst Boys travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th November 1843, he had been taught trades and pardoned to live in New Zealand 6
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: Semper paratus
Motto Translation: Always prepared.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blundell
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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