Vessey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Vessey is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Vessey family lived in Northampton. The name, however, derives from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Vassy, Normandy. One of the first records of the name was Robertus Invesiatus, Lascivus which appeared in the Domesday Book 1 in Essex 2. Other records show the name was originally De Vesci, which was a baronial name, a branch of the De Burgh family. 3

Eustace de Vescy or Vesci, Baron Vesci (1170?-1216), "son of William de Vesci and Burga de Stuteville, paid his relief on coming of age in 2 Richard I (1191-1192). He was with the king in Palestine in 1195. John de Vescy (d. 1289) was eldest son of William de Vescy (d. 1253), and elder brother of William de Vescy. In 1253, on the death of his father in Gascony, he succeeded to the family estates. These included the barony of Alnwick and a large property in Northumberland." 4

Early Origins of the Vessey family

The surname Vessey was first found in Northampton where Robert de Vassy (Veci) and his brother Ivo were granted nineteen Lordships in that county and overlapping into Warwick, Lincoln, and Leicester, by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

"The 'Sires de Waacie,' spoken of by Wace at the battle of Hastings, were Robert, who in 1086 held a great barony in Northants, Warwick, Lincoln, and Leicester; and Ivo, who does not appear even as a mesne-lord in Domesday. Yet we hear nothing more either of Robert or his possessions, and the whole history of the family centres on Ivo, and Ivo's posterity." 5

Ivo (John) won the hand of Alda, daughter of Gilbert, Lord of Alnwick in Northumberland and the family claim considerable prominence as the Lords of Vesey from which Lords Fitzgerald and Vesei claim descent.

Further to the south in Tamerton, Cornwall, "Vacye was for some time the seat of a family of this name; but it is at present the property and residence of George Call, Esq. The church of Tamerton contains several memorials for the family of Vacye." 6

Early History of the Vessey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vessey research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1313, 1462, 1470, 1500, 1554, 1589, 1661, 1674 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Vessey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vessey 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 Feasey, Feasy, Fessey, Fassey, Fessys, Fressis, Veasey, Vassey, Vassy, Vesci, Vezey, Vezay, Vesey, Vessey and many more.

Early Notables of the Vessey family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vessey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Vessey family to Ireland

Some of the Vessey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vessey migration to Australia +

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

Vessey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Vessey, (b. 1816), aged 17, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Vessey, (Vassey), (b. 1818), aged 22, English labourer who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1881 8
George Vessey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bolton" in 1849 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Vessey (post 1700) +

John William Vessey Jr. (1922-2016), American military officer, 10th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1982-1985), recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Tricia Vessey (b. 1972), American actress, known for Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), Bean (1997) and Trouble Every Day (2001)
Robert Scadden Vessey (1858-1929), American politician 7th Governor of South Dakota (1909-1913)
Maggie Vessey (b. 1981), American athlete who competes in middle distance track events
Robert Scadden Vessey (1858-1929), American Republican politician, Member of South Dakota State Senate 19th District, 1905-08; Governor of South Dakota, 1909-13 10
Robert Vessey, Canadian politician, MLA for York-Oyster Bed, Prince Edward Island (2007-)

The Vessey 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: Sub hoc signo vinces
Motto Translation: Under this sign we shall conquer.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The BOLTON 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Bolton.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html