Prewett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Wales

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The surname Prewett is derived from the Middle English word "prou," meaning "brave," or "valiant," with the addition of either of two common diminutive suffixes: "-et" or "-ot." As such, this name is thought to have originally been a nickname for someone small, but brave. 1 2

Early Origins of the Prewett family

The surname Prewett was first found in Carmarthenshire (Welsh: Sir Gaerfyrddin), located in Southwest Wales, one of thirteen historic counties and presently one of the principal area in Wales.

One of the first records of the family was found in Somerset where Matthew Pruet was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1202. Early London records show Richard Prouet, Pruet, Prowet, there in 1278 and 1280. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 show: Andrew Pruet and William Pruet, both in Cambridgeshire at that time. In Somerset, early records there show Thomas Pruwet, Walter Prowet and Juliana Prouet, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 1

Early History of the Prewett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prewett research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1202, 1278, 1558, 1599, 1680 and 1717 are included under the topic Early Prewett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prewett Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Prewett have included Pruett, Prewitt, Prewett, Pruet, Prewert and others.

Early Notables of the Prewett family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

John Prewett, High Sheriff of Bristol in 1558

Prewett Ranking

In the United States, the name Prewett is the 17,186^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Prewett migration to the United States +

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Prewett were found:

Prewett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Prewett, who landed in Virginia in 1701 5

Prewett migration to Australia +

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

Prewett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Prewett, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Samuel Prewett, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
George Prewett, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 8

Prewett migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9

Prewett Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Ann Prewett, who settled in Jamaica in 1663 with her husband

Contemporary Notables of the name Prewett (post 1700) +

Frank James Prewett (1893-1962), Canadian war poet of World War I who lived most of his life in Britain

The Prewett 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: Deus pascit corvos
Motto Translation: God feeds the ravens.