Walcher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Walcher family

The surname Walcher was first found in Durham where the first record of the name was of William Walcher (died 1080), Bishop of Durham (1070-1080). He was appointed by William the Conqueror to hold that see and was the first non-Englishman to hold the position. The Scottish invasion in 1079 by Malcolm III, plundered Northumberland for about three weeks.

Wallcher with over one hundred retainers for safety tried to resolve the wrongs but the Northumbrians attacked the Norman party. Wallcher led retreat to a nearby church proved fruitless as the party were forced out when the church was set afire. They were all killed when they left the blazing church. This same person is recorded as Walcher de Lorraine in the Domesday Book census of 1086. William de Wallichville was given lands at the conquest in Derbyshire and is son given lordships at Nottinghamshire after the Domesday Book in 1086. 1

Early History of the Walcher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walcher research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walcher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walcher Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Walchar, Walcher, Wallichville, Valecherville, Wallich and many more.

Early Notables of the Walcher family

the Walcher family of Durham

Walcher migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Walcher or a variant listed above were:

Walcher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Walcher, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1751

Walcher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hannah Walcher, who arrived in Baltimore in 1831
Adam Walcher, who traveled from Bremen to New York city in 1860

Contemporary Notables of the name Walcher (post 1700) +

Greg Walcher, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Colorado 3rd District, 2004 2
Hartwig Walcher (b. 1967), Austrian artist

Sources +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html