Origin of The Marston Name

The following account of the etymology of the Marston name is taken from Nathan Washington Marston’s book. The name is the English version of Marsius (latin) or Marson (German) which means warrior, derived from Mars the Roman god of war. The name was originally used collectively to describe an Italian tribe of warriors, the Marsii. The first application of the name to an individual is in ninth century Germany where the name was used to describe the occupation of a warrior in the service of his king. This surname was also used by a commander in the army of William the Conqueror in 1066.

The commander of William’s army was awarded lands in Yorkshire for his services in capturing England. Lands were granted in the vicinity of Marston Moor. Over many years the Marston family spread out from Yorkshire and founded major families in Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Leicestershire as well as Yorkshire. The families were sufficiently influential to have coats of arms.

  Marston Coats of Arms

The name Marston would have originally been de Merston in the time of William the Conqueror. There are two recordings of such names within the Forest of Knaresborough [[1]]. Both occur in Bekwyth – Hamlet of Kylingall and are recorded in the collectors list for June 1378 – June 1379 for a poll tax granted to King Richard II in the wapentake of Claro. The list shows a William de Merston and his wife paid 4d and Richard de Merston and his wife also paid 4d.