| ![Show Contents]() McKerr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of McKerrWhat does the name McKerr mean? It was in the Scottish/English Borderlands that the Strathclyde-Briton people first used the ancient name McKerr. It was a name for someone who lived the place named Currie, derived from Gaelic curraigh, in Midlothian, on record since 1230. Some instances of this name in Scotland are also known to have derived the place name Corrie in Dumfriesshire. Early Origins of the McKerr familyThe surname McKerr was first found in Midlothian, where "Philip de Curry granted the lands of Dalhengun and Bargower in Kyle to the Abbey of Melrose, 1179. About 1210 Peter de Curri witnessed a charter by Malcolm Loccard, and John Curry of Scotland is mentioned in an Annandale charter, 1238." 1 "Hugh de Corrie witnessed a charter of a fishery in Torduf c. 1194-1211, and as de Corri he witnessed resignation of land in Weremundebi and Anant within the same period. Radulph de Cony witnessed a charter by Henry de Grahame a. 1200." 1 In England, Dodda æt Curi was listed as an Old English Byname in Somerset c1075; and Richard de Cury was listed in Somerset in 1212. 2 Curry, Curry-Mallet, North Curry and Curry-Rivell are all found in Somerset. It is thought that North Curry is the oldest as "this place appears to have been known to the Romans, an urn containing a quantity of silver coins of that people having been discovered in 1748: it was subsequently held by the Saxon kings, and retained in demesne by the Conqueror." 3 Later records show Robert atte Curie in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. 2 Early History of the McKerr familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McKerr research. Another 544 words (39 lines of text) covering the years 1179, 1243, 1260, 1271, 1274, 1291, 1296, 1330, 1339, 1342, 1362, 1364, 1379, 1398, 1400, 1449, 1506, 1511, 1526, 1528, 1547, 1549, 1570, 1641, 1652, 1689, 1691, 1693, 1780, 1799, 1817, 1820, 1840, 1875 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McKerr History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McKerr Spelling VariationsSurnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. McKerr has appeared as Currie, Curry, Currey and others. Early Notables of the McKerr familySir Frederick Currie (1799-1875), Indian official, third son of Mark Currie of Cobham, Surrey, by Elizabeth, daughter of John Close of Easby, Yorkshire, was born on 3 Feb. 1799. He was educated at Charterhouse and the East India Company's College at Haileybury, and was appointed a cadet in...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McKerr Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the McKerr family to IrelandSome of the McKerr family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 202 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| McKerr 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: McKerr Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- James McKerr, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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