| ![Show Contents]() Keslake History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of KeslakeWhat does the name Keslake mean? The ancient roots of the Keslake family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Keslake comes from when the family lived near a stream in which a substantial quantity of the edible plant cress or watercress grew. The surname Keslake is derived from the Old English words cærse, which means cress, and lacu, which means stream. 1 The surname Keslake belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. Early Origins of the Keslake familyThe surname Keslake was first found in Devon at Kerslake, a hamlet near Tiverton. "Burgesses of that town bore this name in the reign of James I., and Abraham Kerslake was a Tiverton churchwarden in the time of Charles II." 2 The "C" and "K" prefix for the name has always been interchangeable, as the first record of the family was actually found in Somerset. The Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1279 listed Ranulph de Carselak. 3 Early History of the Keslake familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keslake research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1295, 1586, 1677, 1821 and 1881 are included under the topic Early Keslake History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Keslake Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Keslake has appeared include Karslake, Carslake, Kerslake, Carselak, Karslack and others. Early Notables of the Keslake familyMore information is included under the topic Early Keslake Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Keslake familyAt this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Keslake arrived in North America very early: John Kerslake, who sailed to Barbados in 1684. Thomas Carslake journeyed to Boston in 1716 and John Kerslake sailed to Philadelphia in 1868.
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: Ad finem fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to the end.
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
 |
