Mottershead (surname)
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Mottershead is an English habitation name which has its common root in the township of Mottram St. Andrew in Cheshire, England where it was first recorded in the 13th century as Mottresheved, from the gen. case of the OE byname MÅtere 'Speaker' + ME heved head(land), hill. The motto of the family is the Latin "Pro Amore Patriae" ("For the love of the homelands")
It was to this region that descendants of a Norman knight "Mottresheved" (or maybe the knight himself) came after the Norman Conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 and there are references to the name in the Domesday Book.
The possibility does exist that the knight's Domesday listing was a corruption of the location name already in existence. The name also may denote a building where village assemblies were held.
Typical features of the Mottersheads, such as their size (not overly tall) and colouring (especially dark brown hair - not many blondes) suggests a strong Welsh influence.
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