Middlemiss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Anglo-Saxon name Middlemiss comes 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 Middlemiss family

The surname Middlemiss 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 Middlemiss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Middlemiss 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 Middlemiss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Middlemiss Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Middlemiss has appeared include Middlemass, Middlemas, Middlemaist, Middlemiss and many more.

Early Notables of the Middlemiss family

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

Migration of the Middlemiss family to Ireland

Some of the Middlemiss 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.

Middlemiss migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Middlemiss arrived in North America very early:

Middlemiss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Middlemiss, who settled in America in 1726

Middlemiss 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:

Middlemiss Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Middlemiss, (b. 1841), aged 22, British farm labourer travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 8
Miss Jane Middlemiss, (b. 1842), aged 31, English cook from Berwick travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Surat" going to Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand in 1873, the ship sunk at the Catlins River all the passengers were transported to Dunedin via various rescure vessels 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Middlemiss (post 1700) +

Bert Middlemiss (1888-1941), English professional footballer who played from 1908 to 1920
Russell Middlemiss (1929-2019), Australian rules footballer who played from 1949 to 1955 for Geelong, father of Glen Middlemiss
Glen Middlemiss (b. 1956), former Australian rules footballer who played from 1979 to 1984
Philip Sean Middlemiss (b. 1963), British television and radio actor, best known for his role as the bookmaker Des Barnes in ITV's Coronation Street (1990-1998)
Jayne Middlemiss (b. 1971), British radio and television presenter
Professor John Middlemiss, Professor of Radio Diagnosis

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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html