Web History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Web is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a weaver which was in turn derived from the Old English word webbe, meaning a woven cloth, and was used to indicate someone employed in making such fabric. 1

Early Origins of the Web family

The surname Web was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat anciently from about the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. "This name is confined south of a line drawn from the Wash to the Dee. It is most numerous in Somerset and Wiltshire, in the west of England; but is also well represented in Suffolk in the east of England and in Northamptonshire in the midlands." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list early spellings and some of the first recordings of the family: Adam le Webbe in Essex; and Elyas le Webbe in Buckinghamshire. 3

The founder of the Dorset branch of the family was William Webb, of Salisbury, merchant, in the reign of Henry VIII. "By marriage, William, the son of the founder, obtained Motcombe, in com. Dorset. Sir John Webb, in the early part of King James I.'s reign, purchased Canford estate, for 14,000/." 4

In Gloucestershire, another branch of the family was found at Hatherop. "By the marriage of Mary, the heiress of the Bloomer family, to Sir John Webb, this property was acquired ; and within my memory has passed away by the marriage of the heiress of the Webbs to the Ponsonby family." 4

Early History of the Web family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Web research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1554, 1566, 1568, 1570, 1571, 1572, 1581, 1583, 1584, 1590, 1591, 1611, 1612, 1622, 1623, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1641, 1642, 1643, 1644, 1663, 1672, 1708, 1713, 1718, 1719, 1734, 1735, 1772, 1773, 1775, 1793, 1794, 1797, 1798, 1815, 1817, 1826, 1843, 1852, 1873 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Web History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Web Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Web were recorded, including Webb, Webbe and others.

Early Notables of the Web family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Webb or Webbe (1611-1672), the English architect, came of a Somerset family, but was born in London in 1611. He was educated from 1625 to 1628 at Merchant Taylors' school. 5 Thomas Webb (c.1...
Mrs. Webb (d. 1793) née Child, born in Norwich was an actress and a singer in the Norwich company. She appears to have made her first appearance in Edinburgh on 21 Nov. 1772 at the Theatre Royal in S...
Daniel Webb (1719?-1798), the Irish author was born at Maidstown, co. Limerick, in 1718 or 1719 and was the eldest son of Daniel Webb of Maidstown Castle. He matriculated from New College, Oxford, on...

Migration of the Web family to Ireland

Some of the Web family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Web migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Web arrived in North America very early:

Web Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Web, who landed in Virginia in 1662 6
Eliz Web, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1699 6

Web migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Web Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thoms Lee Joseph Web, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Contemporary Notables of the name Web (post 1700) +

Web Cullington, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1964 7

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
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
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html