| ![Show Contents]() Weare History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Weare is derived from the Old English word "wer" which meant a "weir, dam, fishing-trap" In other words, the family were "dwellers by a dam" or "keepers of the fishing-weir," or fishermen. Today in Britain, Weare and Lower Weare are small villages in Somerset, England, on the River Axe, south of the Mendip Hills. And in the United States, Weare, New Hampshire; and Weare Township, Michigan are listed. Early Origins of the Weare familyThe surname Weare was first found in Devon where one of the first records was Peter de la Were who was listed in a census in 1242 and John atte Were was listed in a Somerset census in 1332. 1 Traditionally, this family derive from an ancient branch of the Giffards of Devon and Somerset and are not related to the Weir of Vere families. Some say, in early times before the 12th century, the Weare-Giffards of Brightly and Halsworthy took the name Weare and eventually dropped the Giffard portion of the name. "Jacobstow [Ccornwall] in the year 1573, had the honour of giving birth to Diggory Wheare, the author of a life of Camden, a treatise on reading history, and other works. He was appointed by Camden as his first reader in history at Oxford." 2 Early History of the Weare familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weare research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1573, 1593, 1600, 1623, 1647, 1700 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Weare History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Weare Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Were, Where, Wear, Wears, Weare and others. Early Notables of the Weare familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Degory Wheare (1573-1647), English professor of history at Oxford University, born at the mansion of Berry Court, Jacobstow, about eight miles south of Stratton in North Cornwall. "He matriculated from Broadgates Hall, Oxford, on 6...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weare Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Weare family to Ireland
Some of the Weare family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Weare migration to the United States | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Weare Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Nathaniel Weare, who settled in New England in 1635
- Peter Weare, who arrived in Maine in 1635 3
- Tho Weare, who landed in Virginia in 1637 3
- Nathaniel Weare, who landed in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1656 3
- Mary Weare, who settled in Nevis in 1660
Weare Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- James Weare, who settled in Philadelphia in 1848
- James Weare settled in San Francisco, California in 1851
- C Weare, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3
| Weare migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Weare Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. James Weare, British Convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
- James Weare, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Derwent" in 1849 5
| Weare migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6Weare Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- John Weare, who settled in Barbados in 1640
- John Weare, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1660
| Contemporary Notables of the name Weare (post 1700) | + |
- Buel Fellows Weare, American Publishing Executive and Consultant, Glenwood, Maryland
- Meshech Weare, American politician, Member of New Hampshire Governor's Council, 1776-84 7
- John M. Weare, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 1st District, 1853-55 7
- Daniel J. Weare, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts, 1903 7
- Mason Weare Tappan (1817-1886), American Republican politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives, 1853-55, 1860-61; U.S. Representative from New Hampshire 2nd District, 1855-61 8
| Historic Events for the Weare family | + |
HMS Royal Oak - Walter Thomas Weare, British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 9
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: Fuimus
Motto Translation: God and my country.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DERWENT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Derwent.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
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Weare migration to the United States 
Weare migration to Australia 
Weare migration to West Indies 
England
Ireland
