| ![Show Contents]() Armitage History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Armitage first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the county of Yorkshire in eastern England. Records show that most, if not all of the bearers of the surname can be traced back to a family living at Hermitage Bridge in Almondbury, near Huddersfield in the 13th century. Early Origins of the Armitage familyThe surname Armitage was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Kirkless, a hamlet, in the chapelry of Hartshead cum Clifton, parish of Dewsbury, wapentake of Morley. The hamlet was originally the site of a Cistercian nunnery, founded in the reign of Henry II and later passed to the Pilkingtons and later "to the Armytages, whose mansion formed part of the conventual buildings, till the time of James I., when the family erected Kirklees Hall, the present seat of Sir George Armytage, Bart." 1 Early History of the Armitage familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Armitage research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1596, 1600, 1629, 1641, 1644, 1652, 1653, 1655, 1660, 1662, 1673, 1677, 1694, 1732, 1736, 1737 and 1850 are included under the topic Early Armitage History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Armitage Spelling VariationsOne relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Armitage has appeared include Armitage, Hermitage, Ermytache, Ermitage, Armitach, Hermitack, Armitack and many more. Early Notables of the Armitage familyNotables of the family at this time include - Timothy Armitage (died 1655), a pastor of the first independent church in the city of Norwich. 2
Armitage RankingIn the United States, the name Armitage is the 7,557th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Armitage is ranked the 776th most popular surname with an estimated 8,709 people with that name. 4  Migration of the Armitage family to Ireland
Some of the Armitage 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.
| Armitage migration to the United States | + |
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Armitage arrived in North America very early:
Armitage Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Godfrey Armitage, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1630 5
- Joseph Armitage, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1630 5
- Thomas Armitage, who arrived in Boston aboard the ship "James", bound for Lynn, Massachusetts in 1635 5
- Godfrey Armitage, who arrived in Boston aboard the ship "James", bound for Lynn, Massachusetts in 1635 5
- Abra Armitage, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Armitage Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Eleazer Armitage, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1712 5
Armitage Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- James Armitage, who landed in America in 1804 5
- Joshua Armitage, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1811 5
- Hannah Armitage, who landed in New York in 1822 5
| Armitage migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Armitage Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Harvey Armitage, who landed in Canada in 1834
- Seth Armitage, who landed in Canada in 1841
- William Armitage, who arrived in Canada in 1841
- Amos Armitage, who arrived in Canada in 1841
| Armitage migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Armitage Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. John Armitage, (Firth, John), British Convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
- Joseph Armitage, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
- James Armitage, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
- Mr. James Armitage, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
- Giles Armitage, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1839 10
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Armitage migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Armitage Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- J.Armitage, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bank of England" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th October 1850 11
- E. Armitage, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1854 12
- Mr. George Armitage, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Harwood" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 4th November 1858 11
- Mrs. Elizabeth Armitage, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Harwood" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 4th November 1858 11
- Miss Lucy Armitage, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Harwood" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 4th November 1858 11
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Armitage (post 1700) | + |
- Karole Armitage (b. 1954), American dancer and Tony award nominated choreographer currently based in New York City
- Nathan G. Armitage, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Ashford; Elected 1926 13
- John L. Armitage, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Essex County, 1883-84, 1893; Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1912 13
- James Armitage, American politician, Mayor of Monroe, Michigan, 1849 13
- H. G. Armitage, American politician, Member of Nebraska State House of Representatives, 1883 13
- Frank Lester Armitage (1871-1968), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oregon, 1916; Postmaster at Eugene, Oregon, 1935-47 13
- Edith Armitage, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 41st District, 1942 13
- Constance Dean Armitage (b. 1920), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 1960 (alternate), 1964, 1968, 1972; Vice-chair of South Carolina Republican Party, 1960-62 13
- Arthur Edgar Armitage (1891-1981), American Republican politician, Mayor of Collingswood, New Jersey, 1933-61 13
- Alan James Armitage, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 33rd District, 1970 13
- ... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Historic Events for the Armitage family | + |
Air New Zealand Flight 901 - Mrs. Ethel Mary Armitage (1906-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Milford, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 14
- Harold William Armitage (d. 1942), British Able Seaman aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 16
- Mr. Benjamin Rhodes Armitage, British Lieutenant, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 17
HMS Royal Oak - Frederick Charles Armitage (1909-1939), born in Southwell, Nottingham, England, British Mechanician 2nd Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 18
- Mrs. Florence Gertrude Burke Armitage, (née Martin), American 2nd Class passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 19
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: Semper paratus
Motto Translation: Always prepared.
- 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
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
- 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 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
- State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1839 from London with Captain Benjamin Freeman and 245 passengers, arrived Port Adelaide on 16-07-1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Asia-list.htm
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
- Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
- Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
- HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
- Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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Armitage migration to the United States 
Armitage migration to Canada 
Armitage migration to Australia 
Armitage migration to New Zealand 
England
Ireland
