| ![Show Contents]() Vorsper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of VorsperWhat does the name Vorsper mean? The Cornish surname Vorsper has two possible origins: deriving from the Cornish words vosper or vospur, meaning "a pure or immaculate maid or virgin"; and/or the name may translate as the bare dwelling (vos-ber); or the great dwelling (bos-ver). 1 Alternatively the name could have been a Norman surname arriving after the Norman Conquest of England as we find Waspre, or Guaspre, of Normandy. Osmund de Waspria witnessed a charter of the De Clares t. Henry I. 2 and Ralph de Waspre, Robert, and William Waspre occur in Wiltshire in the 13th century. 3 Early Origins of the Vorsper familyThe surname Vorsper was first found in Cornwall at Launceston, a town, ancient borough, and civil parish near the River Tamar. "Mr. Vospar, or Vospur, owned Trewoofe in Buryan in the reign of Charles I." 4 "John Vosper was the name of the mayor of Liskeard in 1601, 1611, and 1625. The name was also to be found across the border in Tavistock [Devon] in the 17th and 18th centuries: Henry Vosper was a Tavistock churchwarden in the time of Cromwell, and Henry Vosper was a gentleman of the same town in the reign of Anne." 4 Early History of the Vorsper familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vorsper research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1871, 1899 and 1937 are included under the topic Early Vorsper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Vorsper Spelling VariationsCornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Vosper, Vorsper, Vospa, Vospar and others. Early Notables of the Vorsper familyHerbert Edward Vosper, English founder of Vosper & Company, often referred to simply as Vospers, a British shipbuilding company based in Portsmouth, England in 1871. This company evolved into VTG (formerly VT Group), a privately held American defense and services...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vorsper Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Vorsper familyAn examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Vorsper: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..
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: Utraque fortuna contentus
Motto Translation: In good fortune or bad fortune
- Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. 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)
- Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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