Brewer Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Brewer Family History

Brewer Family History

The ancient origin of the name Brewer was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Meaning 'the brewer', Brewer is an occupational name for someone who was a brewer of beer. Variants include Bruer and Brewster. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout the above islands. Examples of such are a William le Brewere, London, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273 and a John le Brewer, who was recorded in the ancient book 'Kirby's Quest'. An Anthony Bruer was registered in the University of Oxford in the year 1588, and a Charles Brewer and Pennie Mattichamp were married in Saint Georges Chapel Mayfair, in the year 1750.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

Brewer can also be variant forms of the names Burgess and Brugha in Ireland.The Brewer family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Brewer descendants.