The Williams pear is thought to date from 1765 to 1770 from the yard of an Aldermaston, England, schoolmaster named Mr. Stair or Mr. Wheeler, giving rise to the now-obscure names Aldermaston pear and Stairs pear. A nurseryman named Williams later acquired the variety, and introducing it to the rest of England, which is why the pear became known as the Williams Pear. However, the pear's full name is Williams' Bon Chretien, or "Williams' good Christian." 