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![Show Contents]() Whytgreave History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Whytgreave is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Whytgreave family lived in Staffordshire, at the manor of Whitgreave. Early Origins of the Whytgreave familyThe surname Whytgreave was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Whitgreave. "In the reign of Henry III., Robert Whitgreave, the ancestor of this family, was seated at Burton near Stafford." 1 He received a grant of Arms from Humphrey, Earl of Stafford. The Arms are based on those of Stafford and there seems to be a relationship between the Whitgreaves and the noble house of Stafford. It was the Norman custom for the second son to adopt the surname of his manor or village. The small village of Whitgreave dates back to 1193 when it was first listed as Witegraue and possible meant "white grove or corpse," from the Old English words "hwit" + "graefe." 2 Early History of the Whytgreave familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whytgreave research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1449, 1590 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Whytgreave History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Whytgreave Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Witgrave, Whitgrave, Whitgrove, Whitgreave, Whitgroves, Whitgreaves, Whitegrave, Whitegraves, Whitegrove, Whitegroves, Whitegreave, Whitegreaves, Witegrave, Witegrove, Witgreaves, Witgreave, Witgrove, Witgrave, Whitgraves, Witgraves and many more. Early Notables of the Whytgreave familyMore information is included under the topic Early Whytgreave Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Whytgreave familyBecause of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Whytgreave name or one of its variants: Thomas Witgrave who landed in North America in 1754.
- Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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