Contents [hide]

Wark History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Wark History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Wark family

The surname Wark was first found in Northumberland where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor and Castle of Wark, from very ancient times, before the Norman Conquest, and showed allegiance to the Bishop of Durham. Henry Percy secured the Castle of Warkworth from Edward III in 1327. He was the Commander at Hallidon Hill and Nevill's Cross. Today Warkworth Castle is a ruined medieval building in Warkworth, Northumberland.

Early History of the Wark family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wark research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1425, 1444, 1446, 1468, 1473, 1500 and 1686 are included under the topic Early Wark History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wark Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wark, Warke, Warkworth and others.

Early Notables of the Wark family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Lord Wark of Wark Castle

Wark Ranking

In the United States, the name Wark is the 13,884^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Wark family to Ireland

Some of the Wark 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.

Wark migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wark Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Wark who settled in Georgia in 1775

Wark Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin Wark, aged 30, who landed in New York in 1812 2
James Wark, aged 25, who landed in New York in 1812 2
John Wark, aged 29, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 2
David Wark, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1813
H J Wark, aged 21, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wark migration to Australia +

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

Wark Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Barbara Wark, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lady Bute" in 1839 3
Henry Wark, aged 37, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Marshall Bennett" 4
John Wark, aged 25, a joiner, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Joseph Rowan" 5
Henry Wark, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nimroud"

Wark 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:

Wark Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Wark, (b. 1837), aged 37, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 6
Mrs. Wark, (b. 1853), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 6
Miss Wark, (b. 1867), aged 7, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 6
Miss Wark, (b. 1869), aged 5, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Wark (post 1700) +

Joe Wark (1947-2015), Scottish professional footballer with Motherwell, making 464 appearances from 1968 to 1984, member of the Scotland League XI National Team in 1976
Kirsty Wark (b. 1955), Scottish journalist and BBC television presenter
John Wark (b. 1957), Scottish footballer
Blair Anderson Wark VC, DSO (1840-1941), Australian Army officer, recipient of the Victoria Cross
McKenzie Wark (b. 1961), Australian-born writer and scholar
Jacob Wark Griffith (1819-1885), American politician, Member of Kentucky State Legislature, 1854-55, 1878-79; Colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War 7

Historic Events for the Wark family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. James Wark, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 8

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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) LADY BUTE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839LadyBute.gif
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARSHALL BENNETT 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marshallbennett1852.shtml
South Australian Register Saturday 17th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Joseph Rowan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/josephrowan1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, June 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html