Middlemaist History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Middlemaist is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the place name Middlemass, a district near Kelso in the Borders region of Scotland, so named from northern Middle English word "midelmast," meaning "middlemost."

Alternatively, the name be from Michaelmas, denoting the season or day that the child was born. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Middlemaist family

The surname Middlemaist was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat at Middlemarsh. 4 5

Middlemarsh is also a tything, in the parish of Mintern-Magna, union of Cerne, hundred of Cerne, Totcombe, and Modbury, Cerne division of Dorset. 6

Early records in England are scarce but we did find on record of Thomas de Meddelmersee in 1297. 5

So we must look to Scotland for early entries for the family. "The Middlemasses were vassals and tenants of the district around Kelso, and derived their surname from 'lie Middlemestlands in villa et territorio de Calco,' mentioned in 1029. William de Meldiemast who petitioned for a benefice in the gift of the abbot of Kelso, 1406 (Pap. Pet., I, p. 624) was probably Schir Wilyeam Myddilmast, the 'lwvit chapellain' of Archibald de Douglas, earl of Wigtoun, vicar of Selkirk in the first quarter of the fifteenth century." 7

Early History of the Middlemaist family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Middlemaist research. Another 350 words (25 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1425, 1439, 1495, 1497, 1513, 1530, 1537, 1566, 1567, 1590, 1603, 1610, 1611, 1612, 1629, 1652, 1665, 1670, 1674, 1692 and 1742 are included under the topic Early Middlemaist History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Middlemaist Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Middlemaist has been recorded under many different variations, including Middlemass, Middlemas, Middlemaist, Middlemiss and many more.

Early Notables of the Middlemaist family

More information is included under the topic Early Middlemaist Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Middlemaist family to Ireland

Some of the Middlemaist family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Middlemaist family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Middlemaist or a variant listed above: George Middlemane (Middlemast) settled in Virginia in 1679; William Middlemass, who came to Virginia in 1723; James Middlemiss, who came to America in 1726.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
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.
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)