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Whytwith is a name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066. The Whytwith family lived in Durham, at Whitworth.
The surname Whytwith 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
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whytwith 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 Whytwith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Witworth, Whitworth and others.
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...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whytwith Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Whytwith or a variant listed above were: Alice Whitworth and her husband who settled in New England in 1775; Joshua Whitworth settled in Philadelphia in 1859; Sarah Whitworth arrived in New York in 1823..