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Pett History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Pett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Pett family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from person who was referred to as Peat. The surname Pett was originally derived from the Old English name "Peter." 1 2 Alternatively, the name could have been a nickname for a "delicate person, a pampered pet." 3 Another source presumes the name could have been "short for Peatman, a cutter of Peat." 4 And finally, one source believes the name could have been Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Rickard and Tustin Peet in Normandy 1198. 5

Early Origins of the Pett family

The surname Pett was first found in Winchester where Ralph Peet was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1210-1211. Later in Worcestershire, we found Richard Peet in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. 6

In Somerset, Richard de Peyt was recorded there 1 Edward III (in the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 7 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes an entry for John Pitte c. 1272. 5

Early History of the Pett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pett research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1513, 1563, 1570, 1589, 1593, 1610, 1630, 1647, 1652, 1672 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Pett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pett Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Pett include Peat, Peate, Peart, Pert, Pett and others.

Early Notables of the Pett family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Peter Pett, (fl 1563), master-shipwright at Deptford. He was great-grandson of Thomas Pett of Skipton in Cumberland. "But Skipton is in Yorkshire, and, though some of his kin may have settled in the n...
Phineas Pett (1570-1647), was an English shipwright; and his fifth son, Peter Pett, (1610-1672), was English Master Shipwright designed the HMS Sovereign of the Seas under direction of Charles I, one...
Sir Peter Pett (1630-1699), was an English lawyer and author, son of Peter Pett (1593-1652), master-shipwright at Deptford, great-grandson of Peter Pett (d. 1589.) 8

Pett migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Pett were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Pett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Pett, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 9
Mathew Pett, who landed in Virginia in 1651 9
Francis Pett, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 9
Warwick Pett, who landed in Virginia in 1663-1664 9
Peter Pett, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 9

Pett migration to Australia +

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

Pett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Pett, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orator" in 1849 10
Henry Pett, aged 38, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Caroline" 11

Pett 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:

Pett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alfred Pett, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
Matilda Pett, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rangitikei" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Pett (post 1700) +

Lynn F. Pett (b. 1940), American politician, Mayor of Murray, Utah from 1990-1998
Joel W. Pett (b. 1953), American Pulitzer Prize-winning (2000) editorial cartoonist
Thomas George "Tom" Pett (b. 1991), English professional footballer
Oliver Pett (b. 1988), English former professional squash player, ranked World No. 56 in October 2012
John Pett, British film director and producer who was active from 1954 to 1993, known for The World at War (1973), The Price of a Record (1968) and Omnibus (1967)
John Pett (1914-1991), Welsh artist
William Pett Ridge (1857-1930), English writer

Historic Events for the Pett family +

Monongah Mine

Mr. Nick Pett (b. 1867), Polish coal miner who was in mine 8 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 12

The Pett 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: Ardens
Motto Translation: Fervent.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ORATOR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Orator.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 26th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Caroline 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/caroline1855.shtml
Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).