Show ContentsSclaster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Sclaster is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a person who covered roofs with slate. Sclaster is an occupational surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Occupational surnames were derived from the primary activity of the bearer. In the Middle Ages, people did not generally live off of the fruits of their labor in a particular job. Rather, they performed a specialized task, as well as farming, for subsistence. Other occupational names were derived from an object associated with a particular activity. This type of surname is called a metonymic surname. This surname comes from the Old English word esclate, which means splinter or slat.

Early Origins of the Sclaster family

The surname Sclaster was first found in Derbyshire where the earliest records of the family were found at Barlborough near Chesterfield in Derbyshire.

As an occupational name, the family name was a trade name of a roofer and was originally spelled Sclater. This spelling is still used as far north into Scotland, specifically the Shetlands and the Orkney Islands, where their territories were in Burnes. "Robert Sklatare sold his tenement in Glasgow in 1430, John Sclater was a burgess of Arnbroath in 1458, and another John Sclatar witnessed a Forfarshire obligation in 1497." [1]

Early census records in Britain revealed Thomas le Sclatatere in Worcestershire in 1255 and Saundr le Sclattur in 1278 in Oxfordshire. [2] The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Adam le Scatterre and Richard le Sclattere in Oxfordshire and Walter Sclatter in Buckinghamshire. [3]

"The living [of Tetsworth, Oxfordshire] is a vicarage, in the gift of the Slater family: the great tithes have been commuted for £210, and the small tithes for £115." [4] The Sclaters of Hoddington, claim to have borrowed their name from the parish of Slaughter, or Schlauter in Gloucestershire where they were lords of the manor of over three hundred years. [5]

Early History of the Sclaster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sclaster research. Another 234 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1508, 1514, 1550, 1571, 1575, 1576, 1609, 1612, 1615, 1616, 1620, 1623, 1626, 1634, 1636, 1640, 1659, 1662, 1663, 1664, 1667, 1676, 1679, 1683, 1684, 1685, 1690, 1699 and 1717 are included under the topic Early Sclaster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sclaster Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Sclaster are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Sclaster include Sclater, Slater, Slatter, Sklater and others.

Early Notables of the Sclaster family

Distinguished members of the family include William Sclater (1575-1626), rector of Pitminster, the second son of Anthony Sclater, of ancient Northumbrian descent, who is said to have held the benefice of Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire for fifty years, and to have died in 1620, aged 100. William Sclater (d. 1717?), was an English nonjuring divine, born at Exeter, the only son of William Sclater, rector of St. Peter-le-Poer, and grandson of William Sclater...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sclaster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Sclaster family to Ireland

Some of the Sclaster family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sclaster family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Sclaster or a variant listed above: John and Anne Slater who settled in Virginia in 1622; John Slater settled in Virginia in 1617, three years before the "Mayflower"; Joshua Slater settled in Barbados in 1675.



The Sclaster 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: Crescit sub pondere virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue thrives under oppression.


  1. 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)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.


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