Whetstone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Whetstone family

The surname Whetstone was first found in Leicestershire at Whetstone, a village and civil parish in the Blaby district that dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Whetstone and Westham. 1

This village was held by under-tenant Ralph, a Norman noble, who held by the Robert Beaumont, Count of Meulan who held these lands and ninety other manors in Leicester, Warwick and Wiltshire. Rather small by standards of the day, the village held one mill, had 16 acres of meadow and was land enough for 7 ploughs.

Whetstone is also a hamlet and chapelry, in the parishes of Fryern-Barnet and Finchley, Finsbury division of the hundred of Ossulstone, union of Barnet in Middlesex. 2

Whetstones or water stones are used to grind and hone the edges of steel tools and implements. Charnwood Forest in northwest Leicestershire, has been quarried for centuries, and has been a major source of whetstones and quern-stones.

Early History of the Whetstone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whetstone research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1557, 1587, 1630, 1655, 1668 and 1711 are included under the topic Early Whetstone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whetstone Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Whetstone, Wetstone, Wetston, Whytstone, Whetston and many more.

Early Notables of the Whetstone family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Robert Whetstone (d. 1557), English landowner who owned the manor of Walcot at Barnack, near Stamford, Lincolnshire; and his son, George Whetstone (1544-1587), English dramatist and author. He "was re...
Rear Admiral Sir William Whetstone (died 1711), was a British officer of the Royal Navy and was "probably son of John Whetstone, who in 1655 was master of the Swiftsure, flagship of (Sir) William Penn...
Thomas Whetstone (1630-1668?), was an English privateer and naval officer, nephew of Oliver Cromwell, sent to Jamaica as a planter and later became leader of the colony, commander of 13 privateers

Whetstone Ranking

In the United States, the name Whetstone is the 5,074^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Whetstone migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Whetstone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Stephen Whetstone, who landed in Maryland in 1666 4
John Whetstone, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 4

Whetstone Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Whetstone, who landed in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania in 1743 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Whetstone (post 1700) +

Diane McKinney Whetstone (b. 1953), American author
Martha Whetstone, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996 5
Frank Whetstone, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Montana, 1948 (alternate), 1952 5
David Whetstone, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alabama, 2012 5
Dan Whetstone, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Montana, 1932, 1936 (member, Credentials Committee); Member of Republican National Committee from Montana, 1940 5
Henry Whetstone and Esther Whetstone, American chocolate makers who founded Whetstone Chocolates, St. Augustine, Florida in 1967
Peter Whetstone (d. 1843), American early pioneer leader in the Republic of Texas, co-founder of the city of Marshall, Texas
William Edwin "Ed" Whetstone (1908-1987), American businessman and civic leader
Linda Whetstone (1942-2021), née Fisher, a British libertarian and free market campaigner from Binfield, Berkshire
Timothy John "Tim" Whetstone, Australian politician, Member of the South Australian Parliament for Chaffey (2010-)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html