Gawthrope History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Gawthrope surname was derived from any of several place names in West Yorkshire. The place names are thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "gaukr," which meant "cuckoo bird."

Early Origins of the Gawthrope family

The surname Gawthrope was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Gawthorpe, also known as Gawthorp, a hamlet in the Kirklees district. Gawthhorpe is also a village to the north of Ossett, in the Wakefield district and an electoral ward in the non-metropolitan district of Burnley in Lancashire. Gawthorpe Hall is an Elizabethan country house on the banks of the River Calder, in the Borough of Burnley, Lancashire.

Sifting though archival materials, we found few early entries for the family. Crystofer Gawthorp was a Freeman of York in 1541 and later, William Gawthropp was listed in Yorkshire in 1672. 1

Early History of the Gawthrope family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gawthrope research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Gawthrope History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gawthrope Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Gawthrope has undergone many spelling variations, including Gawthorpe, Gaythorpe, Gathorne, Gauthorpe, Gawthrop, Gawthropp, Gawthrup, Gawthrupp, Gawthrope, Gathrope, Gaythorpe, Gathorn, Gorthorp and many more.

Early Notables of the Gawthrope family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gawthrope Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gawthrope migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Gawthrope were among those contributors:

Gawthrope Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Gawthrope, a bonded passenger who arrived in America in 1763

Contemporary Notables of the name Gawthrope (post 1700) +

Nigel Gawthrope, English political candidate for King's Hedges in the 2016 Cambridge City Council election

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)