Contents [hide]

Whitworth History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Whitworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Whitworth is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Whitworth family lived in Durham, at Whitworth.

Early Origins of the Whitworth family

The surname Whitworth was first found in Durham at Whitworth, a parochial chapelry, partly in the union of Auckland.

"According to the Boldon book, this manor was held by Thomas de Acley, by the service of a quarter of a knight's fee; it was afterwards possessed by the Whytworths and the Nevills, and subsequently by the Shafto family. " 1

Alternatively, Whitworth, a chapelry in the parish of Rochdale, Lancashire may be a possibility. "The manor was granted by 'divers donators' to the convent of Stanlow in Cheshire, in the reign of John; among these donors was Sir John de Elland, parcener of the lordship of Rochdale, who gave one moiety of the manor. " 1

Another source notes "Whitworth, Lancashire was Whyteword in the 13th cent., Wyteworth and Whiteworth in the 14th century. " 2

As the Durham locale is clearly the oldest and mention is made of the family holding the manor in very early days, we suggest that this locale is the more likely place of origin for the family.

As to confirm this supposition, Lower notes "chapelries in Durham and Lancashire. The Whitworths of co. Durham were descendants of the Shaftos of Northumberland. " 3

Early records of the family are very scant, but we did find Elyas de Witewurde listed in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1194 and John de Whiteworth in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1336. 4

Early History of the Whitworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitworth research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1615, 1619, 1635, 1646, 1675, 1704, 1711, 1725 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Whitworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitworth Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Witworth, Whitworth and others.

Early Notables of the Whitworth family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Charles Whitworth, 1st Baron Whitworth (1675-1725), a British diplomat, Ambassador Extraordinary to Russia in 1704...
He was the eldest of the six sons of Richard Whitworth of Blowerpipe, and afterwards of Adbaston, Staffordshire...

Whitworth Ranking

In the United States, the name Whitworth is the 3,065^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Whitworth family to Ireland

Some of the Whitworth 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.

Whitworth migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Whitworth or a variant listed above:

Whitworth Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Sarah Whitworth, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 6
Abraham Whitworth, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6
Alice Whitworth and her husband who settled in New England in 1775

Whitworth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sarah Whitworth, who arrived in New York in 1823
Edmund Whitworth, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 6
Robert Whitworth, who landed in Texas in 1857 6
Joshua Whitworth, who settled in Philadelphia in 1859
Atkinson Whitworth, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1864 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitworth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Whitworth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Whitworth, English convict who was convicted in Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. James Whitworth, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 8
Mr. Charles Whitworth, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. William Whitworth, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Joseph Whitworth who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whitworth migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Whitworth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Whitworth, aged 36, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12
Emma Whitworth, aged 26, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12
Mr. Edward Whitworth, (b. 1839), aged 25, British shepherd travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st January 1865 13
Robert Whitworth, aged 33, a shoemaker, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lauderdale" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Whitworth (post 1700) +

Charles Whitworth (1752-1825), 1st Earl Whitworth, British diplomatist and politician, British Envoy to Poland (1785-1787), British Ambassador to Russia (1788-1800) and British Ambassador to France (1802-1803)
Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803-1887), English engineer and entrepreneur, inventor of the Whitworth Rifle, a single-shot muzzle-loaded rifle used by the Confederacy in the American Civil War, co-founder of Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd, a major British manufacturing company in the late 1800s and early 1900s
William Alvin Whitworth (1937-2024), American journalist and editor
Ralph Victor Whitworth (1955-2016), American businessman, founder of Relational Investors LLC
George F. Whitworth (1816-1907), American Presbyterian missionary, founder of Whitworth College (now Whitworth University) in 1890
Johnny Whitworth (b. 1975), American actor, known for his roles in Limitless (2011) and 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Kathy Whitworth (b. 1939), American LPGA professional golfer
Air Commodore John Nicholas Haworth Whitworth CB, DSO, DFC and Bar, RAF (1912-1974), British Royal Air Force pilot, Chief of Staff of the Ghana Air Force
Sir Charles Whitworth (1714-1778), English author, the eldest son of Francis Whitworth of Leybourne, Kent, the younger brother of Charles, Baron Whitworth; their father was M.P. for Minehead from May 1723 14
George H. Whitworth (b. 1896), English footballer who played from 1920 through 1928
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Whitworth 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: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019