Show ContentsNewgate History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Newgate is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Newgate family once lived in the settlement of Newdigate in the county of Surrey. The surname Newgate belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Newgate family

The surname Newgate was first found in Surrey at Newdigate, a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley which dates back to 1167 where it was listed as Niudegate and literally meant "gate by the new wood" from the Old English words niwe + wudu + geat. 1

Early History of the Newgate family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newgate research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1181, 1500, 1535, 1571, 1602, 1610, 1640, 1644, 1660, 1668, 1677, 1678, 1709 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Newgate History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newgate Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Newgate family name include Newdegate, Niwodegate, Newdigate, Newgate and others.

Early Notables of the Newgate family

Notables of the family at this time include Sebastian Newdigate, O.Cart., (1500-1535), the seventh child of John Newdigate, Sergeant-at-law; he was executed for treason on June 19th, 1535 for his refusal to accept Henry VIII's assumption of supremacy over the Church in England, he was beatified by the Catholic Church; Sir John Newdigate (1571-1610)...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Newgate Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Newgate migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Newgate surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Newgate Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Newgate (also Newdegate) settled in Boston in 1635
  • John Newgate, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 2
  • Nathaniel Newgate, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1646 2


The Newgate 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: Confide recte agens
Motto Translation: Trust in fair dealing.


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. 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)


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