Whittehedd History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe ancient Anglo-Saxon culture once found in Britain is the soil from which the many generations of the Whittehedd family have grown. The name Whittehedd was given to a member of the family who was a whitehaired or fair-haired person. The surname Whittehedd is derived from the Old English words hwit, which means white, and heafod, which means head. 1 Early Origins of the Whittehedd familyThe surname Whittehedd was first found in Lancashire and "especially in North England. " 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included two entries for the family with very early spellings: Roger Witheyed, Huntingdonshire; and William Witheyed, Cambridgeshire. And in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Adam Whiteheued; Johannes Whittehed; and Robertus Qwytheued. 2 Further to the north in Scotland, the first record of the family was "Adam Whytehevde de Hoton, juror on inquisition before the sheriff of Berwick, 1300. " 3 Early History of the Whittehedd familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whittehedd research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1423, 1485, 1492, 1519, 1523, 1540, 1541, 1551, 1557, 1571, 1585, 1594, 1609, 1625, 1628, 1629, 1630, 1636, 1653, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1672, 1684, 1696 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Whittehedd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Whittehedd Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Whittehedd family name include Whitehedd, Whited, Whitehead, Whytehead and others. Early Notables of the Whittehedd familyNotables of the family at this time include David Whithead (1492?-1571), English divine, born about 1492, a native of Hampshire (Wood), where the Whiteheads had some landed property. "His contemporary, Hugh Whitehead (d. 1551), with whom David has been confused, belonged to a Durham branch of the family, was from 1519 to 1540 last prior, and from 1541 first dean of Durham. " 4
George Whitehead (1636?-1723), was an English Quaker, born at Sun Bigs, parish of Orton, Westmorland. From 1661 to 1672 Whitehead spent most of his time in prison. He died on 8 March 1723, in his eighty-seventh... Migration of the Whittehedd family to IrelandSome of the Whittehedd family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Whittehedd familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Whittehedd surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Daniel Whitehead settled at Hempstead in New York in 1631; Richard Whitehead settled in New England in 1630; John Whitehead settled in New Haven Conn. in 1630.
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: Dum spiro spero Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.
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