SPECTEMUR AGENDO “MORTER” ‘Let us be judged by our actions`

The name Morter was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Morter family lived in Essex. The name, however, descends from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, which was Mott, a town in Cotes du Nord, Normandy. The ancient chronicles of England and early records of the name Morter, show it to be an old Norman surname. The history of the name is closely interwoven within the majestic tapestry as an intrinsic part of the history of Britain.

In-depth research by skilled analysts into ancient manuscripts such as the Domesday Book (compiled in 1086 by William the Conqueror), the Ragman Rolls, the Wace poem, the Honour Roll of the Battel Abbey, The Curia Regis, Pipe Rolls, the Falaise Roll, tax record baptismals, family genealogies, local parish and church records, shows the first record of the name Morter was found in Essex, where the family was seated from very early times, having been granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Many alternate spellings were found in the archives researched, typically linked to a common root, usually one of the Norman nobles at the Battle of Hastings. Although your name, Morter, appeared in many references, from time to tirne the surname included Mott, Motte, Mote, De Mott, De Motte, Demott and these changes in spelling frequently occurred, even between father and son. Scribes recorded and spelled the name as it sounded_ Typically a person would be born with one spelling, married with another, and buried with a headstone, which showed another. All three spellings related to the same person. Sometimes preferences for different spelling variations, either resulted from a branch preference, religious affiliation-, or sometimes nationalistic statements_

The ancestors of the family name Morter are believed to be descended originally from the Norman race, frequently but mistakenly assumed to be of French origin. They were more accurately of Viking origin. The Vikings landed in the Orkneys and Northern Scotland about the year 870 AD under their King, Staged the Stout. Thorfinn Rollo, his descendant, led his people into northern France early in the 10th century. In 911, King Charles III Was forced to cede territory to Rollo, who became the first Duke of Normandy, the territory of the north men. Rollo married Charles' daughter and became a convert to Christianity. Duke William, who invaded and defeated England in 1066, was descended from the first Duke Rollo of Normandy. Duke William took a census of most of England in 1086, and recorded it in the Domesday Book. A family name capable of being traced back to this manuscript, or to Hastings, was a signal honour for most families during the Middle Ages, and even to this day.

The surname Morter emerged as a notable family name in the county of Essex, where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity, seated as Lords of the manor and estates in that shire. They were descended from Mott, a town of Cotes du Nord in Normandy, and arrived in England with William the Conqueror. They received several Knights' fees from Crispin in the county of Essex and later they acquired the manor of Graintree in Essex and by the 14th century had branched to Kedlington in Suffolk. By the 16th century they had acquired Bamingham Hall in Norfolk and other locations in the southeastern counties. Prominent amongst the family at this time was Mott of Essex.

The surname Morter contributed much to local politics and in the affairs of England or Scotland. During the 11th and 12th centuries many of these Norman and families moved north to Scotland. Later, in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries England was ravaged by religious and political conflict. The Monarchy, the Church and Parliament fought for supremacy. Religious elements vied for control of, the State Church, the Roman Church and the Reform Church. All, in their time, made demands on rich and poor alike. They broke the spirit of men and many turned from religion, or alternatively, renewed their faith, pursuing with vigour and ferocity, the letter of the ecclesiastical law. Many families were freely "encouraged" to migrate to Ireland or to the "colonies". Nonbelievers or dissidents were banished sometimes even hanged.

The settlers in Ireland became known as the “Adventurers for land in Ireland." They undertook to keep the Protestant faith. The name, Morter may well have arrived in Ireland with the "Cromwellian Adventurers for Land," in the 17th century. At that time, l, OOO acres of land was available to settlers in Ulster for £200, in Connaught for £300, and in Leinster for £600.

The democratic attitudes of the New World spread like wildfire. Many migrated aboard the fleet of sailing ships known as the "White Sails." The stormy Atlantic, small pox, dysentery, cholera and typhoid took its toll on the settlers and many of these tiny, overcrowded ships arrived with only 60 or 70% of their passenger list. The migration or banishment to the New World continued, some voluntarily from Ireland, but mostly directly from England or Scotland, their home territories. Some clans and families even moved to the European continent.

In North America, migrants which could be considered a kinsman of the family name Morter, or variable spellings of that same family name included: Adam Mott, who arrived with his wife Sarah and five children in Boston in 1635; Nathaniel Mott, who arrived in New England in 1681, Peter Mott, who came to New York in 1711; and William Mott, who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1807. From the port of arrival many settlers joined the wagon trains westward. During the American War of Independence some declared their loyalty to the Crown and moved northward into Canada and became known as the United Empire Loyalists. Among notables of this name in recent history were: Sir Neville Mott; Norman Mott, Diplomat.

The Motto for the Coat of Arms translates as: Let us be judged by our actions.