LORDS OF ANAST

The family of Anast may have come from Anjou, in Angers; but it is more likely that they came from Bretagne (from the parish of Pipriac, which at that time bordered what was formerly Anast but today is known as Maure-De-Bretagne).

HISTORY OF THE BRETONS:

The Anast family were Breton nobles: . Bretons are an ethnic group, “that trace much of their heritage to groups of Brythonic speakers who emigrated from southwestern Great Britain, including Cornwall, in waves from the 3rd to 9th century (most heavily from 450 to 600) into the Armorican peninsula, which was subsequently named Brittany (in France) after them.”

In the late 4th century, large numbers of British auxiliary troops in the Roman army may have been stationed in Armorica. The emperor Magnus Maximus, who withdrew Roman forces from Britain, settled his troops in the province. There was also a second wave of Britons settling in Armorica in the 5th century to escape the invading Anglo-Saxons and Scoti.

There are numerous records of Celtic Christian missionaries migrating from Britain during the second wave of Breton colonisation, especially the legendary seven founder-saints of Brittany as well as Saint Gildas. As in Cornwall, many Breton towns are named after these early saints.

In the Early Middle Ages, Brittany was divided into three kingdoms — Domnonia, Cornouaille (Kernev), and Bro Waroc’h (Broërec) — which eventually were incorporated into the Duchy of Brittany. The first two kingdoms seem to derive their names from the homelands of the migrating tribes in Britain, Cornwall (Kernow) and Devon (Dumnonia). Bro Waroc’h (“land of Waroch”) derives from the name of one of the first known Breton rulers, who dominated the region of Vannes (Gwened). The rulers of Domnonée, such as Conomor, sought to expand their territory, claiming overlordship over all Bretons, though there was constant tension between local lords.

Bretons were the most prominent of the non-Norman forces in the Norman invasion of England. A number of Breton families were of the highest rank in the new society and were tied to the Normans by marriage.

ETYMOLOGY OF “ANAST” SURNAME:

The “Anast” name is from the Greek language. The Anast family may have taken their name from the Greek word ἀνάστασις (anastasios) meaning “resurrection” (this became the Greek boy’s name “Anastas”). In Latin, the Greek word anastasios became the male name “Anastasius” and the female name “Anastasia”. The choice of this name is probably related to the family of Anast’s Catholic beliefs, especially because a number of members of the Anast family were priests or bishops. Today, the “Anast” surname is very uncommon, and those with the surname are usually of Greek origin.

It appears that the “Anast” surname died out in the 1200s, but one branch of the “Anast” family – the “De Maure’s” – continued on; and remnants of that branch exist today (using the surname “Demaure”).