Matthew Calbraith Perry: A Typical American Naval OfficerGriffis, William Elliot
History
Matthew Calbraith Perry: A Typical American Naval Officer
Griffis, William Elliot
Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858
IN answer to an inquiry, Hext M. Perry, Esq., M.D., of
Philadelphia, Pa., who is preparing a genealogy of the Perry
family, has kindly furnished the following epitome:—
DEAR SIR,—I have no doubt of our name being of
Scandinavian origin. The Perrys were from Normandy, the
original name being Perier which has in course been
reduced to its present—and for many hundred years past
in England and America—Perry. A market town in
Normandy, France, is our old Perry name—Periers. The
name doubtlessly originated from the fruit, Pear, French
_Poire_; or, the fruit took its name from the family
which is perhaps more likely. At any rate _Poire_ is
easily modulated into Perer, Perier, Periere, etc., and
so across the Channel to England, with William the
Conqueror, in 1086, it soon ripens into our name Perry.
Perry is a delightful fermented beverage in England made
from pears—a sort of pear cider.
“Perry” identifies by its arms with “Perers.” The family
of Perry was seated in Devon County, England, in 1370.
That of “Perier” was of Perieres in Bretagne (Brittany,
France), and descended from Budic, Count of Cornuailles,
A. D. 900, whose younger son Perion gave name to
Perieres, Bretagne. A branch came to England, 1066, and
Matilda de Perer was mother to Hugo Parcarius who lived
in time of Henry I. The name continually recurs in all
parts of England, and thence the _Perrys_, Earls of
Limerick. There was also a Norman family of Pears
intermarried with Shakespere which bore different arms
“Perrie” for Perry—“Pirrie,” for Perry.
“PERRIER.”
Odo, Robert, Ralph, Hugh, &c., de Periers, Normandy
1180-95. Robert de _Pereres_, England, 1198.
It appears that the family Saxby, Shakkesby, Saxesby,
Sakespee, Sakespage or Shakespeare was a branch of that
of De Perers, and this appears to be confirmed by the
armorial. The arms of one branch of Perire or Perers
were: Argent, a bend sable (charged with three pears for
difference). Those of Shakespeare were:—Argent, a bend
sable (charged with a spear for difference). As before
stated, the family of Perere came from Periers near
Evreux, Normandy, where it remained in the 15th century.
Hugo de Periers possessed estate in Warwick 1156;
Geoffrey de Periers held fief in Stafford, 1165, and
Adam de Periers in Cambridge. Sir Richard de Perers was
M. P. for Leicester 1311, Herts 1316-24, and Viscount of
Essex and Herts in 1325.
Courteously Yours,
HEXT M. PERRY.
III.
THE NAME CALBRAITH.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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