Contents [hide]

Peat History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Peat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Peat is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from person who was referred to as Peat. The surname Peat was originally derived from the Old English name "Peter." 1 2 Alternatively, the name could have been a nickname for a "delicate person, a pampered pet." 3 Another source presumes the name could have been "short for Peatman, a cutter of Peat." 4 And finally, one source believes the name could have been Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Rickard and Tustin Peet in Normandy 1198. 5

Early Origins of the Peat family

The surname Peat was first found in Winchester where Ralph Peet was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1210-1211. Later in Worcestershire, we found Richard Peet in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. 6

In Somerset, Richard de Peyt was recorded there 1 Edward III (in the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 7 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes an entry for John Pitte c. 1272. 5

Early History of the Peat family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peat research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1513, 1563, 1570, 1589, 1593, 1610, 1630, 1647, 1652, 1672 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Peat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peat Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Peat include Peat, Peate, Peart, Pert, Pett and others.

Early Notables of the Peat family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Peter Pett, (fl 1563), master-shipwright at Deptford. He was great-grandson of Thomas Pett of Skipton in Cumberland. "But Skipton is in Yorkshire, and, though some of his kin may have settled in the north, it is more probable that he belonged to the family of the name which early in the fifteenth century owned property at Pett in the parish of Stockbury in Kent. " 8 He was progenitor of the...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peat Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peat migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Peat Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo Peat, aged 38, from Derby, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell" 9
John Peat, who landed in Virginia in 1649 9

Peat Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Peat, who settled in Virginia in 1754

Peat Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Peat, who landed in New York in 1824 9
George Peat, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1878

Peat migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Peat Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Epenetus Peat U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 10

Peat migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Peat Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Peat, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. William Peat, British Convict who was convicted in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Emily Peat, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 13
Louisa Peat, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 13
Ann Peat, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Flora" in 1851 14

Peat 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:

Peat Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Peat, aged 27, a miner, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 15
Elizabeth Peat, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 15
Elizabeth Peat, aged 2, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 15
Mary Peat, aged 2 mths., who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 15
John Peat, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Peat migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Peat Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Joshua Peat, who arrived in Jamaica in 1746 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Peat (post 1700) +

Marion Todd Peat (b. 1964), former American football player
Nathan Neil Martin Peat (b. 1982), English footballer
F. David Peat (b. 1938), English holistic physicist and author from Waterloo, England
Lindsay Peat (b. 1980), Irish women's rugby union player from Dublin; she has represented Ireland internationally at association football, basketball, and rugby union
Louisa Watson Small Peat (1883-1952), Irish lecturer and writer
Charles Urie Peat (1892-1979), British Conservative Party politician and cricketer
Neville Peat (b. 1947), New Zealand author and photographer from Dunedin
Mark Peat (b. 1982), Scottish professional footballer
Stephen Peat (b. 1980), Canadian ice hockey right wing
Sir Michael Charles Gerrard Peat GCVO (b. 1949), Principal Private Secretary to Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (2002 to 2011)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Peat Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ardens
Motto Translation: Fervent.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. 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
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HARPLEY 1848 - PASSENGER LIST. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848HarpleyPassengerList.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LADY FLORA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851LadyFlora.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies