Westbrooke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Westbrooke is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in one of the places called Westbrook in Kent, Berkshire, or on the Isle of Wight. The surname Westbrooke 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 Westbrooke family

The surname Westbrooke was first found in Kent where one of the first records of the name was Reginald de Westbroc who in 1255 was listed in that county's Feet of Fines. A few years later, John de Westbroke was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. Over one hundred years later, Edmind Westbrook was listed in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1440. 1 Another reference lists Richards de Westbrek in Surrey during the reign of Edward I 2. They were Lords of the manor of Elsted for many years.

Early History of the Westbrooke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westbrooke research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1659, 1660, 1666, 1675 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Westbrooke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Westbrooke Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Westbrooke has been spelled many different ways, including Westbrooke, Westbrook, Westbrock, Westbrocke and others.

Early Notables of the Westbrooke family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Westbrooke (1616-1666), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659 and 1660

Westbrooke migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Westbrookes to arrive in North America:

Westbrooke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Westbrooke, who landed in Virginia in 1653 3

Westbrooke migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Westbrooke Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Samuel Westbrooke, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Westbrooke migration to Australia +

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

Westbrooke Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Jonathan Westbrooke, English convict who was convicted in Winchester, Hampshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Blundell" on 13th March 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blundell