Wickliff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Wickliff is an English habitational name derived from Wycliffe, a village on the south bank of the River Tees. Originally the village was located in the North Riding of Yorkshire but was transferred to County Durham in 1974. The name was probably derived from the Old English word "wiht" which meant "bend" and "clif" meaning "slope." Another reference claims that name was derived from the words "the white cliff" and this may be true as there is a whitey-gray cliff nearby. 1

Early Origins of the Wickliff family

The surname Wickliff was first found in Yorkshire where the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Wycliffe, held by Count Alan, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Wycliffe is a "parish, in the union of Teesdale, wapentake of Gilling-West in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The church, which was rebuilt in the reign of Edward III., is a handsome structure in the decorated English style, with a square embattled tower crowned by pinnacles. In the rectoryhouse is a well-executed portrait of Wycliffe by Sir Antonio Moore, presented by Dr. Zouch, a late rector of the parish, to be preserved as an heir-loom by his successors in the living: the reformer was born in or near this place." 2

John Wycliffe (d. 1384), the religious reformer and theologian, was born in Yorkshire, but the exact location has been under speculation for many years. 3

One source claims the family was originally "were descended from a younger son of Enisand Musard of Bretagne, who obtained from his father Clesebv, near Richmond, part of his demesne in 1086 4. Witcliflfe (Wycliffe), Torp, and Gerlington were granted to the family by Alan, Earl of Richmond, by the service of one knight. In the following reign Cleseby, or Cleasby, passed to a younger branch, which assumed the name. Wycliffe passed to Robert de Wycliffe, who witnessed a charter of the Earl of Richmond in 1278. Roger de Wycliffe, his son, was living 1319, and was father of William Wycliffe, who married a daughter of Sir Robert Bellasis. John Wycliffe, the reformer, was a brother or first cousin of the latter, as the name of Wycliffe had not been borne in the family for more than two generations." 5

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included the following entries: Johanna de Wyclayf; Willelmus Whyttloffe; and Johannes Wytloffe. Bardsley presumes "these will probably be immediate relatives of the Reformer. " 1

Early History of the Wickliff family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wickliff research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1328, 1379, 1384, 1415, 1420, 1487, 1499, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Wickliff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wickliff Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wycliffe, Wicliffe, Weycliffe, Weyclife, Wyclife, Wiclife, Wicliffe, Whycliffe and many more.

Early Notables of the Wickliff family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Wycliffe, also spelled Wyclif, Wickliffe, (c. 1328-1384), an English scholastic philosopher, theologian, biblical translator, reformer, Catholic priest, and a seminary professor at the University...

Wickliff migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wickliff Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Wickliff, who landed in Maryland in 1636 6

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)