Westray History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Westray was first found in Cumberland where they held a family seat on the English/Scottish border. After the Norman Conquest of England many of Duke William's rebellious Barons moved north. The border became a convenient no-man's land. Notable families such as the Percy, the Umfravilles and the Nevilles gathered many supporting clans around them. In the 16th century they became known as the 'unruly clans'. In that century, many of those clans drove their herds south, and they settled in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name was first recorded in Lincolnshire but as did many Norman nobles the name moved north to Northumberland when William Westreys held estates in 1219. In 1292, Roger de Westwra held the lands of Westwra in Cumberland. Alternatively, the family could have originated in the lands of Westray on the island of Westray, Orkney. In this case, the earliest record of the name was Lord Michael de Westray, knight who witnessed a charter by Henry de St. Clair, Earl of Orkney, apud Kirkwaw (Kirkwall), in 1391. 1