Listoe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the name Listoe dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a "litster" or dyer, a trade-name for a person who dyed clothes and other fabrics. This surname is derived from the Old English words lite and litte, which both mean to dye.

Early Origins of the Listoe family

The surname Listoe was first found in Yorkshire where today it is one of the most populous surname in that shire. Early records show "Lystare, clothe dyynge (or lytaster of clothe dyynge." "The pedigree is traced to the sixth of Edward II., when John de Lister was resident of Derby. The elder line was of Mydhope, or Middop." 1 He later transferred himself to Yorkshire on his marriage with the daughter and heiress of John de Bolton 2

Gisburn in the West Riding of Yorkshire "was for many generations the seat of the family of Lister, whose descendant, Lord Ribblesdale, is lord of the manor. Gisburn Park is a noble mansion, containing a valuable collection of paintings; the park is extensive, and approached by a handsome lodge. The Lister family are interred in a vault in the church." 3

"Manningham Hall, [in Manningham, in the West Riding of Yorkshire] the seat of E. C. Lister Kaye, Esq., is a handsome mansion, erected on the site of the ancient house of the Lister family, taken down in 1770, and is surrounded by a park." 3

Early History of the Listoe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Listoe research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1296, 1534, 1555, 1597, 1638, 1639, 1658, 1668, 1705, 1707, 1712, 1715, 1718, 1791 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Listoe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Listoe Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Listoe has undergone many spelling variations, including Lister, Litster, Lidster and others.

Early Notables of the Listoe family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Michael Lister, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1534; Sir Martin Lister (c. 1638-1712), English naturalist and physician, eponym of the Dorsa Lister ridge on the Moon; Anne Lister (1791-1840) was a well-off Yorkshire landowner, diarist and traveler; Thomas Lister (1597-1668), English Colonel in the Parliamentary army during the...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Listoe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Listoe family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Listoe were among those contributors: Thomas Lister, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Mary Lister settled in Barbados in 1680 with her servants; Elizabeth Lister arrived in New York State in 1811..

Contemporary Notables of the name Listoe (post 1700) +

Soren Listoe (1846-1892), American politician, U.S. Consul in Dusseldorf, 1892-93; Rotterdam, 1897-1902; U.S. Consul General in Rotterdam, 1902-20 4

The Listoe Motto +

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: Retinens vestigia famae
Motto Translation: Still treading the footsteps of an honourable ancestry.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html