Show ContentsWigglesworth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wigglesworth family

The surname Wigglesworth was first found in North Yorkshire at Wigglesworth, a township, in the parish of Long Preston, union of Settle, wapentake of Staincliffe. [1] The place dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Winchelesuuorde [2] and was held by Roger le Poitevin, a Norman Baron. Literally the place name means "enclosure of a man called Wincel," from the Old English personal name + "worth." [3] The progenitor of the American family is thought to have been Edward Wigglesworth, born 1603 in Scotton, Lincolnshire, father of Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705), the Puritan minister and poet. The family moved to New England in 1638 when Michael was 7 years old.

Early History of the Wigglesworth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wigglesworth research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1631, 1638, 1693, 1705 and 1765 are included under the topic Early Wigglesworth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wigglesworth Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wrigglesworth, Wriglesworth, Wigglesworth, Rigglesworth, Wrikesworth, Ricksworth, Riglesworth, Rigglesford, Wrigglesforth, Rigglesforth, Wrigglesford, Wigglesworth and many more.

Early Notables of the Wigglesworth family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705), author of religious poetry, born in Yorkshire, England
  • he emigrated to America in 1638, best known for his poem "The Day of Doom" which was a bestseller in New England. His son, Edward Wigglesworth (c. 1693–1765) was a clergyman, teacher and theologian in...

Ireland Migration of the Wigglesworth family to Ireland

Some of the Wigglesworth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Wigglesworth migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wigglesworth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Michael Wigglesworth, who arrived in New England in 1651 [4]
  • Thomas Wigglesworth, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 [4]
Wigglesworth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Wigglesworth, who landed in New York in 1838 [4]

Canada Wigglesworth migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wigglesworth Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • William Wigglesworth, who was recorded in London, Canada, in the Ontario census of 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Wigglesworth (post 1700) +

  • Richard Bowditch "Dick" Wigglesworth (1891-1960), American football player, coach and politician, United States Representative from Massachusetts (1928-1933), 6th United States Ambassador to Canada (1958-1960)
  • George Wigglesworth, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Naugatuck, 1926 [5]
  • Col. Edward Wigglesworth, American Commander of the 13th Massachusetts Regiment, also known as Wigglesworth's State Regiment, during the American Revolutionary War
  • Edward Wigglesworth (1732-1794), American professor of divinity at Harvard College, son of Edward Wigglesworth
  • Frank Wigglesworth (1918-1996), American composer, conductor, performer and teacher, Composer in Residence at the American Academy of Rome from 1969-1970, President of the American Composers Alliance from 1980-1984
  • Cathryn Helen Wigglesworth (b. 1951), birth name of Helen Worth, an English British Soap Award winning actress, best known for playing Gail McIntyre in the ITV soap opera, Coronation Street since 1974
  • Ryan Wigglesworth (b. 1979), English composer, conductor and pianist from Yorkshire, current Composer in Residence at English National Opera
  • Richard Eric Peter Wigglesworth (b. 1983), English rugby union player for Saracens
  • Air Commodore Cecil George Wigglesworth (1893-1961), English RAF officer and cricketer for the Royal Air Force in 1927
  • Mark Wigglesworth (b. 1964), English conductor and music director of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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