Show ContentsWainewright History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the name Wainewright dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a wainwright or wagon builder. The surname Wainewright is derived from the Old English word wægnwyrhta, which means wainwright. 1 2

"Wain is an old, but nearly obsolete, word for wagon. In Sussex, a shed in which wagons stand is called a wain-house or ' wen-hus,' and in some parts of England a wagoner is called a wain-man, whence the surname Wenman. Nor must we forget the constellation, Charles's Wain. A Wainwright was therefore synonymous with Cartwright and Wheelwright, also English surnames, and signified a builder of wagons." 1

Early Origins of the Wainewright family

The surname Wainewright was first found in Worcestershire where they were Lords of the manor of Dudelei from very ancient times, and it is possible that they are interrelated with the Norman Baron William FitzAnsculf whose castle was in Dudley.

One of the earliest records of the name was Alimar Wanwrecthe who was listed in Essex in 1237. Adam the Waynwrith was listed in Yorkshire in 1285 and Alan le Waynwright was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1285. 2

Early History of the Wainewright family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wainewright research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1568, 1577, 1592 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Wainewright History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wainewright 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 Wainewright has undergone many spelling variations, including Wainwright, Waynewright, Wainright, Wayn and others.

Early Notables of the Wainewright family

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wainewright Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


West Indies Wainewright migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3
Wainewright Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Hester Wainewright who settled in Barbados in 1682

Contemporary Notables of the name Wainewright (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Griffiths Wainewright (1794-1862), English poisoner and art critic, born at Chiswick, son of Thomas Wainewright of Chelsea; he poisoned his uncle George Edward Gritfiths, at Linden House in 1828 to inherit his considerable estate 4


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  4. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019


Houseofnames.com on Facebook