Tway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

The distinguished surname Tway is thought to have emerged in the border region between North England and Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse "pveit," meaning "meadow, piece of land." Thus, the name originally referred to a "dweller at the meadow." 1

Thwaite as a parish can be found in Norfolk, Suffolk and as Thwaites in Cumberland. 2

Early Origins of the Tway family

The surname Tway was first found in Norfolk. The earliest known bearer of the name was Ralph del Thweit, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for 1206. Ralph de Tweit was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Norfolk in 1221 and later, Alan del Thweit was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. 3 The name later emerged in the northern county of Yorkshire, borne by a notable family.

Later in Scotland, the Twatt variant was "a surname common to both Orkney and Shetland. The Twatts of Orkney may derive their surname from Twatt in Birsay, and the Twatts of Shetland from Twatt in the parish of Aithsting. John Twatt or Tuait raised an action at law against the rest of the heirs of Twat in 1563, and in 1580 there is recorded a wadset by Magnus Tuait." 4

Early History of the Tway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tway research. Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1301, 1379, 1435, 1441, 1445, 1446, 1453, 1471, 1478, 1483, 1490, 1493, 1503, 1624, 1638, 1677, 1723, 1740, 1797 and 1824 are included under the topic Early Tway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tway Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Thwaites, Thwaits, Thwaite, Thweat, Thweatt, Thwaytes, Twaite, Twaites, Twaits, Tweats, Thoytes, Thwayte, Threet, Threat and many more.

Early Notables of the Tway family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Robert Thwaits, an English medieval academic administrator, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University (1441-1453) and Chancellor of Oxford University (1445-1446); Sir Thomas Thwaites (c.1435-1503), Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1471 to 1483, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1478 to 1483, and Treasurer of Calais from 1483 to 1490, was knighted in 1483, was arrested...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tway migration to Australia +

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

Tway Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Bridget Tway who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Tway (post 1700) +

Thomas Dyer Tway (1894-1968), American Democratic Party politician, Speaker of the Arizona State House of Representatives, 1935 6
Robert C. Tway, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1944 (alternate), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960 6

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html