Wapshot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Wapshot family

The surname Wapshot was first found in Surrey where the family historian claims they have held a family seat from the times of King Alfred, (890 A.D.,) the great Saxon King, who granted Reginald Wapshott, his armour bearer, the lands known as Almners Barns near Chertsey in that shire. This would make Wapshott one of the oldest recorded names in English history. 1

Early History of the Wapshot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wapshot research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1250 is included under the topic Early Wapshot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wapshot Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Wapshot are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Wapshot include: Wappshot, Wapshott, Wapshot, Wopshot, Wopshott, Wapshatt, Woplott and many more.

Early Notables of the Wapshot family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Wapshott of Surrey

Wapshot migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Wapshot or a variant listed above:

Wapshot Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Wapshot, who landed in Maryland in 1674 2

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)