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Origins Available: |
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The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Wittewack family, who lived in Staffordshire, at the manor of Westewike. Today, Wightwick is a part of Tettenhall Wightwick ward in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is so named after an ancient local family the "de Wightwicks". Of note is Wightwick Manor, a Victorian manor house now owned by the National Trust.
The surname Wittewack was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Westewike, in the Lordship of Tettenhall. The family originated in Wightwick, "a hamlet in Staffordshire, where this ancient family resided. " 1
The family also anciently had branches in Surrey, Berkshire and Coventry. The first on record was William de Wictewike who lived about in 1260, but the name is recorded in the Domesday Book. 2
Today Wightwick Manor is a Victorian manor house located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, built in the 19th century and includes original Morris wallpapers and fabrics, De Morgan tiles, Kempe glass and has beautiful gardens and stables.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wittewack research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1420, 1594, 1659, 1692 and 1829 are included under the topic Early Wittewack History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Wyghtwiche, Wightwycke, Wightwick, Whitewick, Whytewick, Writewick, Wytewick, Writewyck, Witewyck, Westwick, Westick, Wightick, Westwicke, Westwyck and many more.
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wittewack Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wittewack or a variant listed above: William Westick who landed in North America in 1702.