Contents [hide]

Waples History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Waples History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Waples is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Waples family lived in Norfolk, at Walpole. Looking back even further, we found the name was originally derived from the Old English words welle, meaning well, and pol, meaning pool, and refers to a pool formed by a well. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Waples family

The surname Waples was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat at the time of the Conquest at Freethorpe and Mershland. John of Walpole was nephew of Waleran, the great Essex Baron who was Count of Meulan in Normandy. 4

"Walpole, in Mershland, co. Norfolk, gave name to this historical family, and here Joceline de Walpole was living in the reign of Stephen. Reginald de Walpole, in the time of Henry I seems to have been the lineal ancestor of the house. He was father of Richard, who married Emma, daughter of Walter de Howton, or Houghton, which at a very early period became the family seat. 5

"Walpole is the name of parishes and villages in Norfolk. In the 13th century the surname of De Walpol was represented in this county, as well as in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire." 6

Interestingly, "according to the National Gazetteer (1868) Walpole St. Andrew and Walpole St. Peter Norfolk are both 'situated on the Roman sea-wall.' " 7

Further to the north in Scotland, the family is "most probably from Walpole in the county of Norfolk, England. Willelmus de Walepole witnessed confirmation of sale of the land of Scrogges to the Church of Glasgow, c. 1208-1213. Magister Adam de Walpol, cleric of the Church of Glasgow, c. 1235." 8

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Godfrey de Walpoli was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1198 in Norfolk and Henry de Walepol was found in Kent in the Curia Rgeis Rolls of 1230. William Walpol was registered in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1356; Andrewe Walpole and Thomas Walpole were later found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1524. 9

Early History of the Waples family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waples research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1558, 1560, 1595, 1621, 1637, 1650, 1660, 1668, 1676, 1678, 1683, 1689, 1700, 1722, 1726, 1735, 1745, 1757, 1929 and 1970 are included under the topic Early Waples History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waples Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Walpole, Walpolle, Wallpole and others.

Early Notables of the Waples family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Henry Walpole (1558-1595), an English Jesuit martyr from Docking, Norfolk; he was beatified in 1929 and canonized in 1970; Edward Walpole (1560-1637), an English Roman Catholic convert, who became known as a Jesuit missioner and preacher; Sir Edward Walpole (1621-1668), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1668; Colonel Robert Walpole (1650-1700), an English Whig...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waples Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Waples family to Ireland

Some of the Waples 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.

Waples migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Waples or a variant listed above:

Waples Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Frances Waples, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 10
Peter Waples, who landed in Maryland or Virginia in 1678 10

Waples migration to Australia +

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

Waples Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Waples, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
John Waples, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "British Sovereign" in 1847 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Waples (post 1700) +

William E. Waples, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State House of Representatives 104th District, 1974 13
William D. Waples, American politician, Delegate to Whig National Convention from Delaware, 1839 13
Rufus Waples, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, 1863 13
Margaret P. Waples, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1924 13
Wesley Jonathan Waples (b. 1978), known professionally as Wesley Jonathan, an American actor
Debra Waples (b. 1953), American fencer, captain of the USA fencing team at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Ronald W. "Ron" Waples (b. 1944), Canadian harness racer from Toronto, Ontario with over 6,900 wins, inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1986
Keith Waples (b. 1923), Canadian sulky driver and harness racing trainer, first driver to record a sub two-minute mile in Canada, first to win a 100,000 race in Canada, inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1973 and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1978

The Waples 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: Fari quae sentiat
Motto Translation: To speak what he feels.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. 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)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRITISH SOVEREIGN 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847BritishSovereign.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html