The name Arkwrigh finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a maker of chests, or other pieces of furniture. Wright is a word for a cabinet maker, or more generally a worker in wood. The element "ark" is derived from the Old English arc, meaning "ark, chest," and "wright" which is derived from the Old English wyrhta, meaning "craftsman, maker."
The surname Arkwrigh was first found in Derbyshire, where the Arkwrigh family held a family seat from very early times, long before the Norman Conquest of the Duke of Normandy, in 1066. They were the makers of chests.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Arkwrigh research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1732, 1792 and 1769 are included under the topic Early Arkwrigh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Arkwrigh has been recorded under many different variations, including Arkwright, Arkright, Artrick, Artrip, Hartwright, Hartrick and many more.
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Arkwrigh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Arkwrigh or a variant listed above: John Arkwright, who settled in Jamaica in 1685.