Follow
The Ushers were of Scotch and Irish decent and probably were a mixture of Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Norse Invaders. The main family is from the Dublin area, though they are found also in Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland and Durham. The ancient kingdoms of Northumbria were principally settled by the Angles, a Germanic people from Schleswig-Holstein. In Morpeth, Northumberland in the 14th and 15th centuries, the Ussher (Uscher) family owned property. There were 26 Ushers per 10,000 people.
During the Norman invasion, the name Usher in the form of Guiscard (to rise again, or new scource) came to Britain in 1015-1085. A family names Guise exists in France and Normandy. Guiscard could have been converted through pronunciation to Ushard . Hazard is Norman-French with the ending, "ard". The Scandinavian spelling is Ozzar.
The picts were the major people of Ireland and populated Caledonia (Scotland) from 1000 BC to 500BC. According to Bede, from 400 to 700 AD, Angles, a Germanic tribe from Schleswig-Holstein, formed the kingdom of Lothian between the Tweed and the Forth which is now the counties of Berwick, Selkirk, Peebles and Roxburgh. Welsh made up the area of Scotland between Solway Firth and the Firth of Clyde, Dumfries, Renfrew, Wigown, Ayr and Kirkcudbright, all facing Northern Ireland which was Ulster, and now Northern Ireland. The Scots were an Irish tribe of Picts who settled in the district of Dalriada, known later as Argyle and sent from Ireland, a Christian land, to convert the heathen to Christianity. The Norse people began to invade in 800 BC and by 900 BC held most of Northumbria and Lothia. Allied under the Scottish king, Constantine III in 937, the Scots and the Norse defeated Athelstan of England and the area north of the Tweed was secured from England and finally made part of the Scottish Kingdom under Malcolm II in 1018. The Norse, Scots, Picts, Angles and British were all included within the kingdom of Scotland.
Waterford, Ireland was called Cuan-na-groith (haven of the sun), later named Menapia. The Danes maintained it after 800 as a principal stronghold until its capture by Strongbow (Richard Ie Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke) in 1171. Henry II, in 1172, granted the Decies (Waterford) to Robert Ie Poer, Baron Donisle, Cureoghmore, Viscount Decies. The Earls of Tyrone were O' Neilland and descended from Niall Glundubh, 900, King of Ireland. The first to bear the name was his grandson, Dombnall (Nonnel) O'Neill (Ui Neill) . In 1138, Gilbert de Clare was created earl of Pembroke. Formerly Welsh, Pembrokeshire was called Dyfed. Arnulf de Montgomery, in 1092, paid homage to King William the Conqueror and received the Welsh lands of Dyfed. Many Scandinavian place names remain the Normans spread over the land. Flemish farmers were brought to Dyfed in 1106 with approval of Henry I and again in 1156 under Henry II. With building of the castles of Haverfordwest and Tenby, the district became known as "Little England beyond Wales."
Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, d . 1176, was known as "Strongbow", son of Gilbert de Clare, first earl and succeeded to his father's estates in 1148. The Earl Richard, 1170, at the request of Henry II went to Ireland. Dermot, king of Leinster had been driven out by Roderick, king of Connaught--for this, he was promised the daughter of Dermot, Eva, and the succession to Leinster).