Welby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Welby arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Welby family lived in Lincolnshire, in the parish of Welby.

Early Origins of the Welby family

The surname Welby was first found in Lincolnshire at Welby, a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district, historically in the union of Grantham, wapentake of Aswardhurn. The place name was first listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 at Wellebi [1] and literally meant "farmstead or village by a spring or stream," from the Old English word "wella" + the Old Scandinavian word "by." [2]

A far as the surname is concerned, while there is no doubt the family came from this local, there is question about the original progenitor. One reference cites that John, the Lord of Castleton, around the time of William Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066 A.D. and another cites Sir Thomas Welby, who held the manor of Frieston with Poynton Hall c. 1216. [3]

Sir William Welby was also listed as possessing property between 1307 and 1327. He married the heiress of Multon of Multon and that became the principal family seat until the end of the 16th century. [3]

Robert Waldby (d. 1398) was an English divine, Archbishop of York and claims descent from Waldby, near Hull. "John Waldby (d. 1393?), was English provincial of the Austin friars, and wrote a number of expository works still preserved in manuscript in the Bodleian and other libraries, is said to have been a brother of Robert Waldby. " [4]

Early History of the Welby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Welby research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1216, 1307, 1397, 1471, 1492, 1561, 1570, 1572, 1573, 1574, 1592, 1636, 1638 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Welby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Welby Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Welbey, Welby, Welbie, Welbye and others.

Early Notables of the Welby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

several who were Sherriffs of Lincolnshire, beginning with Roger Welby in 1397; followed by Richard Welby in 1471, Thomas Welby in 1492, and Richard Welby in 1561
Henry Welby (d. 1636), was the English author of 'The Phoenix of these late Times,' the eldest son of Adlard Welby (d. 11 Aug. 1570) of Gedney in Lincolnshire. "About 1592 his younger brother, John, a...
The Welby Baronetcy, of Denton Manor in the County of Lincoln was created on 27 June 1801 for William Welby, Member of Parliament for Grantham

Migration of the Welby family to Ireland

Some of the Welby 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.

Welby migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Welby name or one of its variants:

Welby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Welby, who settled in Massachusetts in 1630
Alice Welby, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 [5]

Welby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mrs. Welby, who settled in San Francisco, California in 1853

Contemporary Notables of the name Welby (post 1700) +

Sian Welby (b. 1986), English television presenter, best known for her work with Channel 5, ITV and Channel 4
Justin Portal Welby (b. 1956), English cleric, the 105th and current Archbishop of Canterbury
Sir Richard Bruno Gregory Welby (b. 1928), 7th Baronet of Denton Manor
Sir Oliver Charles Earle Welby (1902-1977), 6th Baronet of Denton Manor
Alfredo Welby (1910-1998), Italian professional footballer
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alfred Cholmeley Earle Welby KBE, JP (1849-1937), British Conservative politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Taunton from 1895 until 1906
Thomas Welby, Irish politician, Mayor of County Galway (2012-2013)
Piergiorgio Welby (1945-2006), Italian poet, painter and activist
Sir William Earle Welby -Gregory (1829-1898), 4th Baronet, a British Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Grantham (1857-1868)
Lieutenant Sir William Earle Welby (1768-1852), 2nd Baronet, a British land-owner, Baronet and Member of Parliament for Grantham from 1807 to 1820
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Welby 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: Sorte contentus
Motto Translation: Content with one’s lot.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, 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)