Weste History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Weste comes from when the family resided in Devon. The name Weste is derived from the fact that the original bearer of the name came from the west. This rather general nickname could be an indication that the person moved from the west to where he received the name, or that he lived in the western portion of some area such as a county or parish. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Weste family

The surname Weste was first found in Devon, where the family "are remarkable, not so much for the antiquity of the family as for the early period at which they attained the honour of the peerage. Sir Thomas West is the first recorded ancestor; he died in the seventeenth of Edward II., [(during the seventeenth year of the reign of Edward II)] having married the heiress of Cantilupe, and thus became possessed of the lands in Devonshire, and at Smitterfield in Warwickshire." 4

Another reference states "the noble family (Earl Delawarr) ... wrote themselves De West; not it appears, from any place so called, but from their large possessions in the West of England." 2

Later some of the family held estates at Aughton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "This place, called in Domesday Book Actone, Hactone, and Hacstone, was formerly the residence of the family of West, of whom was Sir William West, a soldier in the army of Henry VIII., and who had, in reward for his services, beneficial grants of abbey lands: the family resided here till the latter end of the reign of Elizabeth." 5

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on on a phonetic appreciation of the names. Maurice de West in Colchester, Essex in 1152-1170; Goche West, in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1197; William del West in Essex in 1262; and Robert Westen de Copford in Colchester, Essex in the 13th century. 1

Early History of the Weste family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weste research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1312, 1365, 1386, 1399, 1401, 1402, 1405, 1556, 1570, 1590, 1601, 1632, 1635, 1636, 1637, 1642, 1659, 1660, 1670, 1674, 1691, 1710, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Weste History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weste Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Weste has been recorded under many different variations, including West, Weste and others.

Early Notables of the Weste family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas West, 1st Baron West (1365-1405), only son of Sir Thomas West, of de Hampton Cantilupe (1312-1386), served alongside his father under Richard II; one of them was in active service in Calais in 1386, A knight banneret, he served in Ireland with the Duke of Aumale in 1399, and attended Richard's young Queen Isabella homeward to Calais in 1401, When Thomas was seventeen, he and his mother and sister Eleanor were assaulted and robbed, by Nicholas Clifton, who carried his sister off, he was probably the same Nicholas Clifton who later married her, knighted...
Another 161 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weste Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Weste family to Ireland

Some of the Weste family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weste migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Weste or a variant listed above:

Weste Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andreas Weste, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 6

Weste migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Weste Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Brient Weste, who settled in Newfoundland in 1730 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Weste (post 1700) +

Laurene Weste, American politician, Mayor of Santa Clarita, California, 2001- 8

The Weste Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Jour de ma vie
Motto Translation: Day of my life, i.e. “Most glorious day of my life.”.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html