Contents [hide]

Wentworth History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Wentworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Wentworth comes from when the family resided in either of the places called Wentworth in Cambridgeshire or the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Wentworth belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Wentworth family

The surname Wentworth was first found in Yorkshire in the Saxon Wappentake of Strafford, held by Ulsi, a Saxon Thane. Another reference claims the that Wentworth was a chapelry in the parish of Wath-upon-Dearne in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is here at Wentworth that the Old Trinity Church still stands today.

"The estate is said to have been in the possession of the family before the Norman Conquest. The name is written in [the] Domesday [Book, as] Winterwade and in the XIII century it was changed to Wyntword. The male line continued at Wentworth until the extinction of the earldom of Strafford in the XVIII centruy; and the existing Wentworth, of Wentworth Castle, is descended from the family on the female side." [1]

"Thomas Wentworth of 1587 lies in rich armour on his tomb, with his wife in a Paris hat and dainty ruff, both a little battered. Sir William has a canopied wall monument with a family group kneeling at prayer" [2]

"The most remarkable member of this family was Sir Thomas Wentworth, the second Baronet, celebrated in history as the Earl of Strafford, after whose attainder and execution in 1641, his estates and titles were restored to his son William, who dying without issue in 1695, left his estates to the Hon. Thomas Watson, third son of his eldest sister Anne, who had married Edward Watson, Lord Rockingham. Mr. Watson, on succeeding to his uncle's property, assumed the name of Wentworth in addition to his own.

The mansion of the Wentworth family, originally called Wentworth-Woodehouse, was rebuilt by the first Marquess of Rockingham, who gave it its modern appellation of Wentworth House." [3]

Early History of the Wentworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wentworth research. Another 399 words (28 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1448, 1462, 1464, 1478, 1499, 1501, 1525, 1550, 1551, 1558, 1584, 1591, 1593, 1599, 1626, 1632, 1639, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1660, 1667, 1686, 1695, 1700, 1730, 1744, 1791 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Wentworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wentworth Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Wentworth include Wentworth, Winterwade, Wintworth and others.

Early Notables of the Wentworth family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Roger Wentworth (died 1462), esquire, of North Elmsall, Yorkshire
Sir Henry Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk, KB (c. 1448-c. 1499), de jure 4th Baron Despenser, grandfather of Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, and the great-grandfather of Jane's son, Edward VI
Margaret Wentworth (c. 1478-c.1550), wife of Sir John Seymour and the mother of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII of England, grandmother of King Edward VI of England
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth (1501-1551), Lord Chamberlain of England
Thomas Wentworth, 2nd Baron Wentworth (1525-1584)
Henry Wentworth, 3rd Baron Wentworth (1558-1593)
Thomas Wentworth, 4th Baron Wentworth (1591-1667), Earl of Cleveland in 1626
Sir George Wentworth of Woolley (1599-1660), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642, he fought for the Royalist army in the English Civil War
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Cleveland (1591-1667), a Cavalier general who fought for Charles I during the English Civil War
Henrietta Maria Wentworth, 6th Baroness Wentworth (1660-1686), an English suo jure peeress

Wentworth Ranking

In the United States, the name Wentworth is the 3,472^nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. [4]

Migration of the Wentworth family to Ireland

Some of the Wentworth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 109 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wentworth migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Wentworth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Wentworth, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 [5]
Hugh Wentworth, aged 44, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" [5]
William Wentworth (1616-1697), a follower of John Wheelwright, from Alford, Lincolnshire who landed in Dover, New Hampshire in 1636 [5]
William Wentworth, who, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1636 [5]
Ken Wentworth, who settled in Virginia in 1652
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wentworth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

E H Wentworth, aged 35, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1843 [5]
J Wentworth, aged 36, who landed in Key West, Fla in 1843 [5]
C. G. Wentworth, aged 32, who immigrated to America, in 1892
Cath. Wentworth, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
Alfred J. Wentworth, aged 72, who landed in America, in 1894
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wentworth Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Caroline Wentworth, aged 42, who landed in America, in 1903
Charles Wentworth, aged 34, who settled in America, in 1905
Anne Wentworth, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1907
Cecilie Wentworth, aged 55, who landed in America, in 1910
Annie Wentworth, aged 33, who immigrated to the United States, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wentworth migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wentworth Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Joseph Wentworth U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 [6]

Wentworth migration to Australia +

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

Wentworth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Wentworth, who landed in Sydney, Australia in 1839

Contemporary Notables of the name Wentworth (post 1700) +

Mrs. W. W. Wentworth, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Mexico, 1932 [7]
Thomas C. Wentworth, American politician, Delegate to Maine convention to ratify 21st amendment from York County, 1933 [7]
Mark F. Wentworth, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 1860, 1868 [7]
Tappan Wentworth (1802-1875), American politician, Member of Massachusetts State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 8th District, 1853-55 [7]
L. Halden Wentworth, American politician, Mayor of Roseville, California, 1954-55 [7]
Robert D. Wentworth, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Columbia County, 1910 [7]
Joshua Wentworth, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate from Rockingham County, 1785-89; Member of New Hampshire Governor's Council, 1786-87 [7]
Nathaniel Wentworth, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 20th District, 1897-98 [7]
John Wentworth Jr. (1745-1787), American politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives, 1776; Signer, Articles of Confederation, 1778; Member of New Hampshire State Senate from Strafford County, 1784-86 [7]
John Wentworth (1815-1888), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1843-51, 1853-55, 1865-67 (4th District 1843-51, 2nd District 1853-55, 1st District 1865-67); Mayor of Chicago, Illinois, 1857-58, 1860-61 [7]
... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Wentworth 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: En Dieu est tout
Motto Translation: In God is everything.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mee, Arthur (ed), The King's England Yorkshire West Riding. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1950. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, August 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html