| ![Show Contents]() Schester History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of SchesterWhat does the name Schester mean? The Anglo-Saxon name Schester comes from when the family resided in Chester, which is the capital city of the county of Cheshire, which lies on the border between England and Wales; it is the northernmost county on the border. Devastated in the 11th century by border wars between William the Conqueror and the Welsh, Cheshire's border with Wales fluctuated over the next several centuries. Today, the western portion of the Domesday era county is in Wales. "Many places where Roman and other military stations (castra) existed are called chesters, and residence at such a spot may have conferred the surname. " 1 Early Origins of the Schester familyThe surname Schester was first found in Chester. This ancient Roman and later, Saxon city was known as Legacaestir in 735 and by the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, it was known as Cestre. "The city was originally known as Deoua from its situation on the River Dee, but later was known as Legacaestir, meaning 'city of legions.' " 2 "From the city of Chester, the capital of Cheshire, England, founded by the Romans. The name is derived from the Latin Castrum; Saxon, ceaster, a fortified place, a city, a castle or camp, it being a Roman station where the twentieth legion was quartered. " 3 Robert Chester (fl. 1182), was an early English astronomer and alchemist who took his name from the place of his birth. "Trained in the ordinary learning of his time, he turned aside from it to pursue mathematical studies, in which he gained a high reputation." 4 Roger of Chester (fl. 1339), is "almost beyond doubt the same person with Ranulf Higden, the chronicler, like whom he is described as a monk of St. Werburg's at Chester." 4 The Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire listed Richard de Cestre there in 1200 and John, William de Chester was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332. A few years later, John Chestre was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1366-1367. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Petrus de Cestre in Yorkshire and William de Cestre in Bedfordshire. Kirby's Quest listed William de Chestere, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Elisabet de Chester and Cristiana de Chester as holding lands there at that time. 7 Chesterman is a nickname as "the one who hailed from Chester. This surname is well known in the States. Adam Chesterman 'imbarqued in the Mathew of London' for St. Christophers, 1635. He was nineteen years old. Probably the present Chestermans are his descendants." 7 Early History of the Schester familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schester research. Another 174 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1430, 1509, 1513, 1521, 1536, 1545, 1561, 1563, 1566, 1595, 1623 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Schester History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Schester Spelling VariationsThe 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. Schester has been recorded under many different variations, including Chester, Chestere, Chesters, Cheaster, Chister, Chestare and many more. Early Notables of the Schester familySir William Chester (1509?-1595?), Lord Mayor and merchant of London, second son of John Chester, citizen and draper of London. "His father died in 1513, and two years afterwards his mother took for her third husband Sir John Milborne, who was lord mayor in 1521, and under whose care young Chester was brought up. Lady Milborne survived to 1545, outliving her husband, who died in 1536. She was buried in the...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Schester Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Schester migration to the United States | + |
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 Schester or a variant listed above:
Schester Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Philip Schester, who arrived in New York in 1709 8
- Serbus Schester, who arrived in New York in 1709 8
- Philipp Schester, who landed in America in 1740 8
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: Vincit qui patitur
Motto Translation: He conquers who endures.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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)
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