The name Vashtay reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Vashtay family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Vashtay family lived in Cumberland. Their name, however, is a reference to the Barony of La Ferte,Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vashtay research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1435, 1473 and 1645 are included under the topic Early Vashtay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Vashtay Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Vardy, Vardey, Vartey, Varty, Verty, Vertie and others.
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Early Notables of the Vashtay family
More information is included under the topic Early Vashtay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Vashtay family
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Vashtay name or one of its variants: Miles Vardey settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1816; Mrs. Vardy, her husband and two children, settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1765; Elizabeth Vardy settled in Virginia in 1653.
England
