Weghe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Weghe name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Dorset where Roger de Waie was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1194. Later William Waye was recorded in 1236 and Richard de la Weye was found in Devon in 1249.

In Cambridgeshire, John ate Wey was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. The name literally means "dweller by the road (OE weg) or at a place called Atteweye, the name in 1306 of Way in Thorverton (Devon), or at Atway (Devon)." 1

The same source notes the family could have originated at Waye (Devon, Dorset.) 1

Early Origins of the Weghe family

The surname Weghe was first found in Dorset. The aforementioned Hundredorum Rolls also included Thomas de la Weye, Kent. 2

"The name is found in North Devon, temp. Henry VII.; and in that district the termination way is of frequent occurrence in the names of farms, homesteads, and the like, without any reference to, or connection with, roads. The mullets hauriant [(fish swimming)] in the arms of one family have been supposed to be allusive to the river Wey, co. Dorset, in which mullets are abundant. Ate-Wey is one of the forms in Hundredorum Rolls. It may be an old baptismal designation, as Wege or Weghe is found in Domesday Book as the name of a tenant anterior to the Survey." 3

Early History of the Weghe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weghe research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1430, 1442 and 1476 are included under the topic Early Weghe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weghe 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 Weghe has undergone many spelling variations, including Way, Waye, Wey, Whey, Weigh, Weghe and others.

Early Notables of the Weghe family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Wey or Way (1407?-1476), an English traveller and author, born in Devonshire apparently in 1407, was educated at Oxford. In 1430, he became fellow of...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weghe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Weghe family to Ireland

Some of the Weghe 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.

Migration of the Weghe family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Weghe were among those contributors: George Way, who settled in Boston in 1633; Edward Way settled in Virginia in 1655; Elizabeth Way settled in Nantasket, Mass in 1630; Richard Way was a merchant of St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1779.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.