Skerritt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Both the Anglo-Norman invaders and the Irish had their own methodologies and customs for surnames. The Irish, in particular, had a system of hereditary surnames. Although the name Skerritt is a form of the hereditary name, it is an occupational surname, a form more common to the Anglo-Normans. Occupational surnames were derived from a word describing the actual job done by the name bearer. Early Strongbownians often used the French prefix le, meaning the, but the convention quickly disappeared in Ireland. The surname came from a common occupational name for a house keeper or butler. The surname Skerritt originally took the form Scared, which is an abbreviation of Huscared. This in turn is a corruption of Huscarle which means house care.

Early Origins of the Skerritt family

The surname Skerritt was first found in Devon, where they held a family seat after the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. They were conjecturally descended from Alfred le Breton, who was granted the lands by William the Conqueror, and was Lord of the manor of Petertavy in Devon.

Early History of the Skerritt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Skerritt research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1378, 1414, 1415, 1417, 1418, 1491, 1492, 1513, 1531, 1532, 1556, 1557, 1580, 1583, 1594, 1595, 1605, 1606, 1620, 1642 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Skerritt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Skerritt Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Skerritt, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Skerritt, Skerratt, Skerrett, Skerit, Skeret, Scared, Scarrett, Scarrutt and many more.

Early Notables of the Skerritt family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Richard Scared, Provost of Galway in 1378; Walter Skerrett, Provost of Galway (1414-1415) and (1417-1418); John Skerrett, 7th Mayor of Galway (1491-1492); James Skerrett, Mayor of Galway (1531-1532); William Skerrett, Mayor of Galway (1556-1557); Roland Skerrett, Mayor of Galway (1594-1595); John Skerrett fitz William, Mayor of Galway (1605-1606)...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Skerritt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Skerritt migration to the United States +

In the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Skerritt:

Skerritt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Skerritt, who settled in Norfolk Virginia in 1822
Joseph Skerritt, who arrived in New York in 1832 1
Catharine, and Edward Skerritt and daughter Mary, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1849

Skerritt migration to Australia +

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

Skerritt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Margaret Skerritt, aged 28, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Skerritt (post 1700) +

Tom Skerritt (b. 1933), American actor, his most notable film appearances include M*A*S*H (1970), Alien (1979), Contact (1997) and Top Gun (1986)
Patrick Joseph Skerritt (1926-2001), Irish professional golfer

Historic Events for the Skerritt family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Leonard Paul Skerritt (d. 1914), British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 3

Citations +

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)
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) EPAMINONDAS 1852. Retrieved www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/epaminondas1852.shtml
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html