Contents [hide]

Guise History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Guise History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Today's generation of the Guise family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Guise family lived in Gloucestershire. The name, however, refers to the district of Guise in France, where the family was resident prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1 Aspley Guise is a village and civil parish located in central Bedfordshire.

"Guy of Warwick, hero of romance, is almost wholly a creature of fiction. Dugdale and other historians of Warwickshire literally accepted as historical the series of legends respecting him, to which literary shape seems to have been first given by an Anglo-Norman poet of the twelfth century." 2

Early Origins of the Guise family

The surname Guise was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Elmore in that shire, and were descended from Sir William Gyse who attended Duke William in his Conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

It is believed that Sir William first held the manor of Highnam from Gloucester Abbey but by the later marriage of Anselm Gyse to Magotta de Burgh (Burke,) daughter of the Earl of Kent, he acquired the Lordship of both Highnam and Elmore in Gloucestershire.

Some of the first records in various early rolls include: Robert de Guuis who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Gloucestershire in 1207; and John de Gyse in the Pipe Rolls for Berskhire in 1230. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Anselm de Gyse in Huntingdonshire. John de Gyse was listed in Bedfordshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign) and the same source notes that William de Gyse was listed in Norfolk at that time. 1

Early History of the Guise family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guise research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1617, 1621, 1624, 1629, 1631, 1632, 1644, 1653, 1654, 1670, 1678, 1683, 1695, 1701, 1705, 1710, 1724, 1731, 1732, 1765, 1769, 1773 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Guise History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guise Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Guise include Gyse, Guise, Guys, Guy, Gysse, Gyss, Gise, Gwyse and many more.

Early Notables of the Guise family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Guise (Guilelmus Guisius) (c.1653-1683), was an English Orientalist, the son of John Guise who came of a knightly family seated at Elmore Court, near Gloucester
Sir Christopher Guise, was 1st Baronet (c.1617-1670); Sir John Guise, 2nd Baronet (c.1654-1695); Sir John Guise, 3rd Baronet (c.1678-1732); and Sir John Guise, 4th Baronet (1701-1769)
John Guise (d. 1765), the English general, "is described by Wotton (Baronetage, ii. 217) as grandson of John Guise, one of the brothers of Christopher Guise or Gyse, of Elmore, Gloucestershire, who re...

Migration of the Guise family to Ireland

Some of the Guise family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guise migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Guises to arrive on North American shores:

Guise Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Guise, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1728 4
Willem Guise, who landed in New Jersey in 1730 4
Mary Guise, who settled in Virginia in 1739
Peter Guise, who settled in Maryland in 1771

Guise Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Guise, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 4
Anthony Guise, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 4

Guise Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Rudolph Guise, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1904
Arthur Guise, aged 41, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1909
Alfred Guise, aged 32, who landed in America from Liverpool, England, in 1911
Fredrick Guise, aged 29, who landed in America from Liverpool, England, in 1911
Henry Guise, aged 54, who landed in America from London, England, in 1914
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Guise migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Guise Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Lewis Guise, who settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland in 1675
John Guise Senior and Junior settled in Carbonear in 1675

Guise Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Nicholas Guise, who settled in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland in 1708 5
William Guise, who settled in Trinity, Newfoundland in 1758 5
John Guise, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1769 5

Guise Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edmund Guise, who arrived in Catalina, Newfoundland in 1840 5
Thomas Guise, who landed in Brigus, Newfoundland in 1850 5
John Guise, who settled in Lower Burgeo, Newfoundland in 1871 5

Guise Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Hazel Guise, aged 38, who immigrated to Ontario, Canada, in 1924

Guise migration to Australia +

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

Guise Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Guise, (b. 1804), aged 20, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1878 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Guise (post 1700) +

Witt Orison "Lefty" Guise (1908-1968), American Major League Baseball player
Judith Guise, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1984 7
Byron E. Guise, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1956 7
Barbara Guise, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Brentwood, California, 1998 7
Sir William Francis George Guise (1851-1920), 5th Baronet
Sir William Vernon Guise (1816-1887), 4th Baronet
Sir William Guise (1737-1783), 5th Baronet, MP for Gloucestershire
Sir John Guise, Elmore Court, Gloucester
Sir John Guise GCMG, KBE (1914-1991), the first Governor-General of Papua New Guinea
Wyndham Guise, British actor of the silent era
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Guise 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: Quo honestior eo tutior
Motto Translation: The more reputable the safer

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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html