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Blewitt History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Blewitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the name Blewitt was first found in Britina. It was a name for a person with blue eyes, or who often wore blue clothing. The name stems from the Old French root bleuet which means "a blue woollen cloth." 1 The family claimed Briqueville-la-Blouette, in Normandy as their point of origin. This name was still represented there as "Blouet de Cahagnolles," belonging to the Bailiwick of Caen, sat in the great Assembly of the Norman nobles in 1789. 2

Early Origins of the Blewitt family

The surname Blewitt was first found in Hampshire where Richard Blouet is on the Dives Roll; and Ralph Bloiet was an undertenant in the Domesday Book of 1086. He is mentioned in the Monasticon Anglicanum as a benefactor to Gloucester Abbey. 2

Robert Bloet (Bloett) (died 1123), was an early English prelate. He was Bishop of Lincoln 1093-1123 and Lord Chancellor of England (1092-1093.) He claimed descent from a Norman noble family that held Ivry in Normandy. He accompanied William the Conqueror's son, William Rufus to England from Normandy.

He was brother of Hugh, Bishop of Bayeux. "When the king lay on his death-bed at Rouen, he sent Bloet to England with a letter praying Archbishop Lanfranc to crown William Rufus. Bloet crossed the Channel in company with Rufus himself, and became the new king's chancellor. After the death of Remigius in 1092, the see of Lincoln was kept vacant for a year. Rufus, however, repented of his evil ways while he lay sick at Gloucester in the spring of 1093, and at the same time that he made Anselm archbishop he gave the bishopric of Lincoln to Robert Bloet." 3

The son or grandson of this fabled Earl, Sir Roland Bluet, became Lord of Raglan in right of his wife Lucretia, and his posterity held the castle for several generations. William Bluett was summoned with other barons to march against the Welsh in 1256. 2

From these very early entry of the family, the family dispersed as seen by the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listing: John Bleuit, Gloucestershire; Robert Bluet, Lincolnshire; and Walter Bluet, London. 1

"The family of Bluet is said by Camden to have come from Brittany. The name is spelt in the Battel Roll Bluet, and Bluat, and elsewhere Bloet." 4

Early History of the Blewitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blewitt research. Another 341 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1566, 1644, 1656, 1782, 1805 and 1853 are included under the topic Early Blewitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blewitt Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Blewitt are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Blewitt include Blewett, Blewitt, Bluet, Bluat, Bloet, Blouet, Blewit, Blewet and many more.

Early Notables of the Blewitt family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Ralph Bloet who was seized of the manor of Daglingworth, temp. Henry II. in Leicestershire. His son named Morgan, was elected Bishop of Durham, but was denied a dispensation by the Pope, as the canons require in case of bastardy, because he persisted to own himself the King's son, and not...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blewitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Blewitt family to Ireland

Some of the Blewitt family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blewitt migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Blewitt, or a variant listed above:

Blewitt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Blewitt, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 5

Blewitt Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Blewitt, who settled in Virginia in 1725

Blewitt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Blewitt, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1877 5
Miss May Blewitt, (b. 1892), aged 8 months, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Alaska" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 10th October 1892 en route to Montana, USA 6
Mrs. Annie Blewitt, (b. 1863), aged 29, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Alaska" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 10th October 1892 en route to Montana, USA 6
Mr. Henry Blewitt, (b. 1892), aged 8 months, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Alaska" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 10th October 1892 en route to Montana, USA 6

Blewitt migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Blewitt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Blewitt, English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. John Blewitt, (b. 1748), aged 46, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 26th March 1840, sentenced for life transported aboard the ship "Lady Raffles" on 30th November 1840 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 8
Mr. John Blewitt, (b. 1794), aged 46 born in Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 26th March 1840, sentenced for life for bestiality (savagely cruel), transported aboard the ship "Lady Raffles" in 1841 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 9
Mr. Richard Blewitt, (b. 1795), aged 59, Cornish agricultural labourer departing from Plymouth on 19th August 1854 aboard the ship "Clara" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 19th November 1854 10
Mrs. Mary Blewitt, (b. 1799), aged 55, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 19th August 1854 aboard the ship "Clara" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 19th November 1854 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blewitt migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Blewitt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Arthur Blewitt, (b. 1833), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 23rd December 1853 11
Lieut. Blewitt, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 24th June 1854 11
Charles Blewitt, aged 23, a ploughman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1879
Angelina Blewitt, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arawa" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Blewitt (post 1700) +

David Edward Blewitt (1928-2010), American Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning film editor, known for his work on Ghostbusters (1984), Moonwalker (1988) and The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
Jonas Blewitt (d. 1805), one of the most distinguished organists of the latter half of the eighteenth century 12
Johnathan Blewitt (1780-1853), English composer, son of Jonas Blewitt 12
Octavian Blewitt (1810-1884), English Secretary of the Royal Literary Fund, son of John Edwards Blewitt 12
Darren Blewitt (b. 1985), English footballer
Charles Percy Blewitt (1877-1937), English cricketer who played a single first-class match, for Worcestershire in 1912
Major Shane Gabriel Basil Blewitt GCVO (1935-2022), British courtier and retired military officer, Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to HM The Queen (1988-1996)
Major General William Edward Blewitt CB CMG CBE (b. 1854), British artillery officer, Commander of the Southern Coast Defences, 1911-1914
Brett Blewitt (b. 1976), Australian actor and director, known for Neighbours (1985), My Two Wives (1992) and Our Lips Are Sealed (2000)
Charles Edward "Joe" Blewitt (1895-1954), British three-time gold and silver medalist runner, active in the 1920s
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Blewitt Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In Deo omnia
Motto Translation: In God are all things.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019