The Vicars surname is was a patronymic name meaning "son of the vicar;" or, perhaps, an occupational name for a servant of the vicar.
The surname Vicars was first found in Durham, where they had been seated as Lords of the manor in that shire. Although there is a tradition in the family that they were descended from a Spanish Don Vicaro who entered England in the train of Queen Catharine of Aragon, this source should be seriously questioned since the family held a family seat in Durham almost 300 years before when Nickolas Vigrus (Vickers) was Steward or Governor of Tynemouth in 1295. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vicars research. Another 253 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1215, 1310, 1340, 1338, 1338, 1503, 1611, 1361, 1399, 1396, 1581, 1655, 1618, 1580, 1652, 1580, 1607, 1641, 1590, 1591, 1604, 1660, 1590, 1636, 1700, 1656, 1636, 1646, 1648 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Vicars History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Although the name, Vicars, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Vickers, Vickars, Viccars, Vicars, Vigours, Vicax and many more.
Notable amongst the family name during their early history was John Vicars (1580?-1652), English schoolmaster, poetaster, and polemic, descended from a Cumberland stock, was born in London of poor parents about 1580.
Thomas Vicars (fl. 1607-1641), was an English theologian, born in 1590 or 1591, a native of Carlisle.
John Viccars (1604-1660), was an English biblical scholar, elder son of Gregory Viccars of Treswell in Nottinghamshire. "His sister Helen was the wife of the dramatist William Sampson (1590?-1636?) " [2]
Richard Vickris (d. 1700), was an "English Quaker writer, the son...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vicars Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Vicars 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.
Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Vicars family name Vicars, or who bore a variation of the surname were