Show ContentsWinstanley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Winstanley family

The surname Winstanley was first found in Lancashire at Winstanley, a township, partly in the chapelry of Up Holland and partly in that of Billinge, parish and union of Wigan, hundred of West Derby. "At the period of the Conquest, Uctred, a Saxon, held Wibaldeslei; and in the reign of John, Roger de Winstanesley held lands in the township." 1

Early rolls gave a glimpse of the many spellings in use at that time: Roger de Winstanesleg was listed in Lancashire in 1212; and Hugh de Wynstanlegh, de Wynstanley in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1401. 2

"The Winstanleys, who take their name from a Lancashire township, have long been known in Liverpool, and still reside there. John Winstanley was mayor in 1553, and Henry Winstanley filled the same office in 1752. There was a Robert de Wvnstanleghe of Rishton in the 14th century; and a gentle family of Winstanley lived at Branston, Leicestershire, in the 17th and 18th centuries. " 3

Early History of the Winstanley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winstanley research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1609, 1628, 1644, 1676, 1678, 1687, 1698, 1703, 1750, 1751, 1756 and 1774 are included under the topic Early Winstanley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winstanley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Winstanley, Winstandley, Winstantley, Winstonly, Winstonle and many more.

Early Notables of the Winstanley family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Gerrard Winstanley (1609-1676), an English Protestant religious reformer and political activist during The Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He was "a Lancashire man, but his parentage and birthplace h...
  • William Winstanley (c.1628-1698), was an English poet and compiler of biographies. He was second son of William Winstanley of Quendon, Essex (d. 1687.)
  • Henry Winstanley (1644-1703), was English painter and engineer who constructed the first Eddystone lighthouse. He was nephew of William Winstanley, the poet. He "was probably a native of Saffron Walde...
  • Hamlet Winstanley (1698-1756), was an English painter and engraver, born at Warrington

Ireland Migration of the Winstanley family to Ireland

Some of the Winstanley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 106 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Winstanley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Winstanley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Peter and John Winstanley, who settled in Virginia in 1698
Winstanley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Winstanley, who settled in New York in 1705
  • James Winstanley, who settled in Virginia in 1739
Winstanley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Winstanley, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 4

Australia Winstanley migration to Australia +

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

Winstanley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Winstanley, a painter, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mr. James Winstanley, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. Peter Winstanley, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. Emanuel Winstanley, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Winstanley (post 1700) +

  • Eric Winstanley (1944-2021), English professional footballer who played as a centre-back for Barnsley (1962-1973), Chesterfield (1973-1977) and the England U18 team in 1962
  • Thomas Winstanley (1749-1823), English scholar, born Winstanley in the parish of Wigan, Lancashire, the son of John Winstanley of Winstanley 6
  • William Ira "Bill" Winstanley (1911-1985), English footballer who played for Stoke City from 1935 to 1938
  • Michael Platt Winstanley (1918-1993), Baron Winstanley, Liberal Member of Parliament for Cheadle (1966-1970) and for Hazel Grove in 1974
  • Ivan Rodney Winstanley (b. 1976), retired South African football defender
  • Neil Winstanley (b. 1976), South African retired footballer who played from 1995 to 2010, member of the South Africa National Team in 2004
  • Alan Kenneth Winstanley (b. 1952), British record producer

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. John Charles Winstanley, British Leading Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 7
  • Mr. Fred Winstanley, British Sergeant Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7


The Winstanley 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: Prenez garde
Motto Translation: Take care.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  6. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
  7. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook