Mase History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Mase family name to the British Isles. They lived in Cheshire. Their name, however, is a reference to their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Macey in Manche, Normandy.

Early Origins of the Mase family

The surname Mase was first found in Cheshire where the one of the first records of the name was "Hugh Massie, who married Agnes, daughter and heir of Nicholas Bold, of Coddington. Their son William purchased the manor of Coddington in the eighteenth of Henry VI." ^[1]

A branch of the family held a family seat at Backford since early times. "During a great part of the 13th and 14th centuries, the manor [of Backford] was held by the Masseys, of Timperley; about the year 1580 it was sold to Thomas Aldersey." ^[2]

Birkenhead in Cheshire was another ancient family seat. "A priory for sixteen Benedictine monks was founded [in Birkenhead] about 1150, in honour of St. Mary and St. James, by Hamon de Massey, third Baron of Dunham-Massey." ^[2]

Little is known of Hamon de Massey other than he held manors of Agden, Baguley, Bowdon, Dunham, Hale and Little Bollington. He is thought to have born in La Ferté-Macé, in the Orne department in north-western France.

Important Dates for the Mase family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mase research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1619, 1674, 1646, 1674, 1797 and are included under the topic Early Mase History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mase Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Massey, Massie, Macy, Macey and others.

Early Notables of the Mase family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Edward Massey (c. 1619-1674), fifth son of John Massey of Coddington, an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mase Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mase family to Ireland

Some of the Mase family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mase migration to the United States

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Mase or a variant listed above:

Mase Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Thomas Mase, who arrived in Virginia in 1648 ^[3]
• Nicholas Mase, who arrived in Maryland in 1658 ^[3]

Mase Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Pedro Mase, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 ^[3]
• D Mase, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 ^[3]
• John Mase, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1888 ^[3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Mase (post 1700)

• Willard H. Mase (1834-1894), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1884, 1892; Member of New York State Assembly from Dutchess County 1st District, 1887-89 ^[4]
• Brigadier-General Burdette Mase Fitch (1896-1977), American Adjutant to the Supreme Commander Allied Powers Japan (1945-1946) ^[5]

Citations

1. ^ Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
2. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
3. ^ 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)
4. ^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
5. ^ Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Burdette Fitch. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Fitch/Burdette_Mase/USA.html