| ![Show Contents]() Waldegrave History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The illustrious surname Waldegrave is classified as a habitation surname, which was originally derived from a place-name, and is one form of surname belonging to a broader group called hereditary surnames. Habitation names were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Topographic names, form the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.
Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Waldegrave is a place-name from in the place-name Walgrave, in now Northamptonshire. The location was called Waldgrave in the Domesday Book and was settled by Baron Fulcher de Maloure, a Breton from Maloures near Saint Brieux. Early Origins of the Waldegrave familyThe surname Waldegrave was first found in Northamptonshire where the family was descended from Fulcher de Maloure, a Breton Baron from Maloures near Saint Brieux, in Brittany. Fulcher was granted two baronies in England in 1066, one in Rutland, and one at Walgrove in Northampton and held them from the Countess Judith. He was the sire of the Waldgrave family name. 1 "The Waldegraves had long been established at Chewton, in Somersetshire. " 2 Early History of the Waldegrave familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waldegrave research. Another 325 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1205, 1338, 1381, 1382, 1383, 1386, 1388, 1389, 1402, 1404, 1410, 1554, 1561, 1604, 1619, 1661, 1686, 1687, 1688, 1689, 1723 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Waldegrave History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Waldegrave Spelling VariationsSince the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Waldgrave, Waldgreave, Woldgrave, Waldgraw, Wallgrave and many more. Early Notables of the Waldegrave familyNotable of this family during the Middle Ages was - Sir Richard Waldegrave (ca. 1338-1410), a Member of Parliament for Suffolk and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of King Richard II, represented Suffolk in the two parliaments of 1382...
- Robert Waldegrave (1554?-1604), was a Puritan printer and publisher, born about 1554, son of Richard Waldegrave or Walgrave of Blockley, Worcestershire
- Sir William Waldegrave (fl. 1689), was an English physician, probably the second son of Philip Waldegrave of Borley in Essex. 3
- Waring Walgrave, was Sheriff of London; Sir Charles Waldegrave, 3rd Baronet; and his son, Henry Waldegrave, 1st Baron Waldegrave (1661-1689), was an English peer and Jacobite supporter, Comptroller of...
 Migration of the Waldegrave family to Ireland
Some of the Waldegrave family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Waldegrave migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Waldegrave, or a variant listed above: Waldegrave Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Thomas Waldegrave, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
| Contemporary Notables of the name Waldegrave (post 1700) | + |
- Frances Elizabeth Anne Waldegrave (1821-1879), née Braham, Countess Waldegrave
- Vice-Admiral George Granville Waldegrave CB (1786-1857), 2nd Baron Radstock, a British naval officer
- Admiral William Waldegrave GCB (1753-1825), 1st Baron Radstock, British Governor of Newfoundland
- Lieutenant-Colonel John James Waldegrave (1785-1846), 6th Earl Waldegrave, a British peer and soldier
- John Waldegrave (1718-1784), 3rd Earl Waldegrave, a British politician and soldier
- Commander John Montagu Granville Waldegrave DSC (1905-1944), British naval commander during World War II
- Elizabeth Laura Waldegrave (1760-1816), Countess Waldegrave, a British noblewoman, courtier
- William Frederick Waldegrave VD, PC, (1851-1930), 9th Earl Waldegrave, British Conservative politician, Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard
- Granville Augustus William Waldegrave (1833-1913), 3rd Baron Radstock, a British missionary
- Frederick Waldegrave Head (1874-1941), English-born, Anglican archbishop of Melbourne, Australia
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: Passes avant
Motto Translation: Passed before.
- 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)
- Oliver, George, Collections Illustrating the History of the Catholic Religion in the Counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, and Gloucester London: Charles Dolman, 61, New Bond Street, 1857. Print
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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Waldegrave migration to Canada 
England
Ireland
