The Anglo-Saxon name Middlemast comes from Michaelmas, derived from the season or day that the child was born.
The surname Middlemast was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat at Middlemarsh, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066, but like most Anglo Saxon families they soon found the oppression of the Norman intolerable, and moved north to Scotland where they obtained lands from a grant from the King of Scotland and became tenants of the Abbey of Kelso.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Middlemast research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1497, 1530, 1566, 1590, 1603, 1629 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Middlemast History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Middlemast were recorded, including Middlemass, Middlemas, Middlemaist, Middlemiss and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Middlemast Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Middlemast 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.
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Middlemast family emigrate to North America: George Middlemane (Middlemast) settled in Virginia in 1679; William Middlemass, who came to Virginia in 1723; James Middlemiss, who came to America in 1726.