Wissert History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

A family of Strathclyde-Briton were the first to use the name Wissert. They lived in Stirling.

Early Origins of the Wissert family

The surname Wissert was first found in Stirlingshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. William Wishart had a grant of the mill from the Abbey of Cambus Kenneth in the year 1200, and was associated with lands at Conon and Tulloch in 1254. Another William Wishart was a monk at St. Andrews in 1250. The family also held the lands of Kenny Murchardyn in 1279. Sir John Wishart rendered homage in 1296 to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland. 1

"Andrew Wycchard (Wyschard or Wychard) of Scotland, a prisoner of war in Hereford Castle, 1305-07. George Wischart was burned for heresy at St. Andrews, 1545/6, and a later George Wischart was first bishop of Edinburgh after the Restoration and private chaplain and biographer of the marquess of Montrose." 1

"The family are of ancient date in Forfarshire, and are descended from Robert, a natural son of David, Earl of Huntingdon, who having gone on a crusade to the Holy Land, was called Guishart, on account of the slaughter he made of the Saracens. Adam Wishart of Logie, was living in 1272." 2

"Some ancient writers say, that Robert, son of David, Earl of Huntingdon, took on him the cross, and distinguished himself in the Holy Land, where, from his gallant exploits against the Saracens, he received the name of Guis-hart, that is, Wise-heart, now Wishart." 3

Robert Wishart (d. 1316), was Bishop of Glasgow and belonged to the family of Wishart or Wiseheart of Pittarrow, Forfarshire, and was either nephew or cousin of William Wishart, bishop of St. Andrews and chancellor of Scotland. 4

Much further to the south in England, and much earlier Wigheard, Wighard, or Vighard (d. 664), was Archbishop-elect of Canterbury, a Kentish priest and one of Deusdedit's clergy. "He was nominated to the archbishopric with the assent of the English church by the kings Oswy and Egbert, and was sent, bearing gold and silver vessels, to Rome for consecration. He died of the plague in Rome in 664, before his consecration. " 4

In Bedfordshire, Wishardus Leidt was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1176 and about the same time, Walter Wiscard, Wishard was found in the Pipe Rolls for Surrey in 1162 and 1169. Rannulf Wichard was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Essex in 1212. 5

Early History of the Wissert family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wissert research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1538, 1546, 1576, 1592, 1593, 1596, 1597, 1599, 1629, 1649 and 1671 are included under the topic Early Wissert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wissert Spelling Variations

In the era before dictionaries, there were no rules governing the spelling or translation of names or any other words. Consequently, there are an enormous number of spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names. Wissert has appeared as Wishart, Wishard, Wychart, Wisehart, Wisheart, Wiseheart and many more.

Early Notables of the Wissert family

Notable amongst the family at this time was George Wishart (c.1513-1546) famous reformer and martyr. In 1538, while a schoolmaster at a grammar school in Montrose, he incurred a charge of heresy for teaching the Greek New Testament. After spending some time on the continent, he was sent back to Scotland by Henry VIII to negotiate a marriage contract between Prince Edward and Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1546 he was again arrested and burned at St. Andrews. He was the first to inspire John Knox. 4Sir John Wishart (d. 1576)...
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wissert Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wissert family to Ireland

Some of the Wissert 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.

Wissert migration to the United States +

The freedom, opportunity, and land of the North American colonies beckoned. There, Scots found a place where they were generally free from persecution and where they could go on to become important players in the birth of new nations. Some fought in the American War of Independence, while others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these Scottish settlers have been able to recover their lost national heritage in the last century through highland games and Clan societies in North America. Among them:

Wissert Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Wissert, aged 24, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Wissert (post 1700) +

Charles Wissert, American politician, Representative from Connecticut 2nd District, 1906 7

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html