The ancestors of the name Kearse date back to the days of the
Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from their residence in Kersey, a parish in
Suffolk. The place-name Kersey is derived from the Old English elements
cærse, which means watercress, and
eg, the old English word for island. It was recorded as Cæresige c. 995, and as Careseia in the
Domesday Book, [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) compiled in 1086. The name as a total means "island where the watercress grows." The surname is derived from the place-name. In the early Middle Ages,
local surnames were often proceeded by the word
de or
atte, which meant of and at, respectively. This custom was brought to
England by the
Normans after they conquered the Saxon Nobility at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The surname as a whole,
de Kearse, meant "of Kersey." Eventually, the use of
de and
atte declined, as Old English and Old Norman fused into Old English over the next few centuries.
Early Origins of the Kearse family
The surname Kearse was first found in
Suffolk at Kersey, a village and a civil parish in the Babergh district which today includes the hamlets of Kersey Tye, Kersey Upland, Wicker Street Green, and William's Green. Originally part of the
hundred of Cosford, it comprised about 1,465 acres and an Augustine priory was founded there at an early period dedicated to St. Mary and St. Anthony; at the Dissolution it was granted to King's College, Cambridge.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print. Kersey is the name of a coarse woollen cloth having derived its name from kersey yarn and ultimately from the village of Kersey.
Early History of the Kearse family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kearse research.
Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1272, 1616, 1690 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Kearse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Kearse Spelling Variations
Kearse has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years,
spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Kearse have been found, including Kersey, Kercey, Keresey, Kearsey and others.
Early Notables of the Kearse family (pre 1700)
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kearse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Kearse family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Kearse Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Patrick Kearse, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
- Michael Kearse, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Henry Moore"
Contemporary Notables of the name Kearse (post 1700)
- James Carlisle Kearse (b. 1893), American Democrat politician, Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives from Bamberg County, 1921-24; Member of South Carolina State Senate from Bamberg County, 1941-56 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html