Contents [hide]

Twist History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Twist History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Twist family

The surname Twist was first found in Northumberland where they held a family seat from very ancient times at Twizel near Coldstream as Lords of the manor, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. One of the first on record was Agnes de Twizel of the county of Berwick who rendered homage in 1296 to King Edward I of England who restored her lands in Berwickshire.

Early History of the Twist family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Twist research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1578, 1646, 1700, 1787, 1802 and 1849 are included under the topic Early Twist History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Twist Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Twyss, Twysse, Twiss, Twisse, Twist, Twiste, Twyst and many more.

Early Notables of the Twist family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

William Twisse (1578-1646), a prominent English clergyman and theologian who became Prolocutor of the Westminster Assembly. "The family name is variously spelled Twysse, Twiss, Twyste, and Twist. His...

Migration of the Twist family to Ireland

Some of the Twist family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Twist migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Twist Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hugh Twist, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 1

Twist Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Wilkinson Twist, who landed in Virginia in 1728 1
Benjamin Twist, who settled in Virginia in 1741
Thomas Twist, who settled in Maryland in 1742

Twist Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Twist, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1850 1

Twist migration to Australia +

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

Twist Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Twist, (b. 1796), aged 23, English gardener who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1880 2
Mr. William Twist, British convict who was convicted in Warwick, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. Charles Twist who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Miss Mary Twist who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 10th November 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Twist 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:

Twist Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Twist, (b. 1841), aged 23, British joiner travelling aboard the ship "Amoor" arriving in Lyttleton, South Island, New Zealand on 1st July 1864 6
Thomas J. Twist, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rangitikei" in 1884
Ann Twist, aged 24, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rangitikei" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Twist (post 1700) +

Basil Twist, American puppeteer in New York, known for his underwater puppet show, "Symphonie Fantastique" and on the Broadway productions of "The Pee-wee Herman Show" and "The Addams Family"
Noah C. Twist, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1936 7
Ennis R. Twist, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Washtenaw County 2nd District, 1916 7
Henry Twist (1870-1934), British miner's agent and Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Wigan in 1910 and for Leigh (1922-1923)
Derek Twist (1905-1979), British screenwriter, film editor and director, active in the 1930s
Anthony Rory "Tony" Twist (b. 1968), Canadian former professional NHL ice hockey player who played from 1989 to 1999
Henry Aloysius Twist CMG OBE, British Director of Studies, Royal Institute of Public Administration, Surrey
George Twist CBE, QPM, LL.M, H.M., English Inspector of Constabulary, Hants

Citations +

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 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html