Piltch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Etymology of Piltch

What does the name Piltch mean?

The surname Piltch is an occupational name for someone who was a "pilch maker or dealer," from the Middle English word "pilche, pylche, a fur garment." 1 As such the name was chiefly found first in England and later in Scotland.

Two other sources note the name was derived from "a pylch, a medieval garment, made of fur (pellis)." 2 3

The famous English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) noted "After gret heat cometh cold; No man cast his pylch away." 4 5

Early Origins of the Piltch family

The surname Piltch was first found in Sussex, England where Mabilia Pullchare was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1214. In the same rolls, but later in 1271, Henry Pilchere was listed in Cambridgeshire. Henry le Pilchere was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275 and Nicholas le Pilchere was found in the Assize Rolls for Kent in 1317. 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had the following entries, all found in Cambridgeshire: Hugh le Pilecher; Nicholas Pilchere; and Ralph Pilkere. 5

Another researcher notes: "Swingfield church, a century ago, contained several memorials to members of the family of Pilcher, who were tenants of St. John's. Last century there flourished a New Romney family of this name, a member of which, Stephen Pilcher, gent., who died in 1768, was four times bailiff of the Marsh (H.). The names of Pilcher and Pilchere occurred in Cambridgeshire in the reign of Edward I." 7

In Scotland, the predominate spelling used was Pilche. "A family of this name were prominent in Inverness in the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth century. Patrick Pylche, juror on an inquest in Lanarkshire, 1263, is however, the first of the name recorded in Scotland. Alexander Pilche, burgess of Inverness, was one of the leading adherents in the North of Wallace and Bruce, and joined the insurrection of Andrew of Moray, 1297 (Barron, Scottish War of Independence, passim). Alexander Pylche was prepositus of the burgh of Inuernys in 1327 (ER., I, p. 59), William Pylche held land there in 1361." 8

Early History of the Piltch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Piltch research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1263 and 1376 are included under the topic Early Piltch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Piltch Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Piltch has appeared Pilcher, Pilchert, Pilche, Pylche, Piltch and others.

Early Notables of the Piltch family

More information is included under the topic Early Piltch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Piltch family

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Piltch: Thomas Pilcher, who arrived in Virginia in 1652; Steven Pilcher, who came to Maryland in 1684; and William Pilchert, who arrived in Virginia in 1663.

Sources +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Baring-Gould S., Family Names and their Story. London: Seeley, Service & Co. Limited, 1913. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)