Contents [hide]

Whorton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Whorton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the Whorton family

The surname Whorton was first found in towns and civil parishes in Westmorland, Cheshire or Lincolnshire named Wharton. The oldest local was in Cheshire where the place name was listed as Wanetune 1 in the Domesday Book of 1086. Years later this village was to be known as Waverton in 1216. Literally the village probably meant "farmstead by a swaying tree," from the Old English "waefree" + "tun." 2

But we must look to Westmorland (now known as Cumbria) for Wharton, a civil parish near Kirkby Stephen in the Eden District for the oldest records of the surname. "The Hall, once a large quadrangular building with a tower at each angle, was the princely residence of Philip, the celebrated Duke of Wharton, and his ancestors, but is now occupied as a farmhouse. The estates and manorial rights of the Whartons are now possessed by the Earl of Lonsdale." 3

During the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536-1541), the manor of Langdale in Westmorland was sold to the Wharton family.

Early History of the Whorton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whorton research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1407, 1420, 1495, 1520, 1545, 1555, 1568, 1572, 1588, 1613, 1614, 1615, 1617, 1622, 1625, 1632, 1648, 1664, 1670, 1673, 1676, 1681, 1684, 1685, 1695, 1696, 1698, 1715 and 1731 are included under the topic Early Whorton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whorton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wharton, Warton and others.

Early Notables of the Whorton family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Wharton (fl.1407-1420), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Guildford in 1407 and 1420; Thomas Wharton, 1st Baron Wharton (c. 1495-1568); Thomas Wharton, 2nd Baron Wharton (1520-1572); Philip Wharton, 3rd Baron Wharton (1555-1625), an English peer; Sir Thomas Wharton (c 1588-1622), an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Westmorland (1614-1622); Sir Thomas Wharton (c. 1615-1684), an English politician; Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton (1613-1696), an English peer.Thomas Wharton (1614-1673) was an English physician and anatomist, eponym of Wharton's jelly. Jesse Wharton (died 1676) was an English settler from the...
Another 129 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whorton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whorton Ranking

In the United States, the name Whorton is the 5,974^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Whorton family to Ireland

Some of the Whorton 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.

Whorton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whorton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Matt Whorton, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 5
Thomas Whorton, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 5

Whorton migration to Australia +

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

Whorton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Whorton, (b. 1797), aged 43, British Gardener who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 22 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1840 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Whorton (post 1700) +

Joshua Whorton, American pioneer settler to Arkansas, eponym of Wharton Creek, Arkansas
Isaac Whorton (b. 1980), American politician, Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from the 38th district from 2014 to 2018
Ritchie Aaron Whorton (b. 1960), American politician who has served in the Alabama House of Representatives from the 22nd district since 2014
James Whorton, American Professor Emeritus in the Department of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine
Richard Whorton, American Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at the Duke University School of Medicine
J. M. "Jim" Whorton, American automotive dealer and former politician, Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives
Nigel Whorton, British businessman who bought and restored Hawkesyard Hall, Staffordshire formerly known as Spode House in 1999 and restored the hall and estate

The Whorton 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: Generosus nascitur non fit
Motto Translation: The gentleman is born not made.

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)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840