The ancestors of the bearers of the Derwint family name are thought have lived in ancient
Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found beside the river Darwen or Derwent in
Lancashire. "Over and Lower Darwen are towns in the ancient parish of Blackburn,
Lancashire, so called because located on the small stream the Darwen, a variation of the common river name Derwent. "
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) Early Origins of the Derwint family
The surname Derwint was first found in
Lancashire. The baptismal name Derewen was found in the
Domesday Book.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) One of the first listings of the family was found in
Oxfordshire in the
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Years later the
Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Robertus Darwent and Henricus Darwent, walker.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6) "The family home of the Darwins in the 17th century was at Cleaton in Lincolnshire, and at Elston in Nottinghamshire. From this stock sprang, last century, the noted Derbyshire Darwins, to which branch Charles Darwin, the great naturalist, belonged. " [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Robert Darwin of Elston (1682-1754) was an English physician who discovered the first remains of a Jurassic reptile in 1718 in a stone from a quarry at Fulbeck. He was the ancestor of the famed naturalist Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882.)
Early History of the Derwint family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Derwint research.
Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1731, 1802, 1809 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Derwint History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Derwint Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently,
Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of
spelling variations. Changes in
Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Derwint include Darwin, Darwen, Derwent, Darwent and others.
Early Notables of the Derwint family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Derwint Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Derwint family to the New World and Oceana
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Derwint or a variant listed above: Peter Darwin who settled in Barnstable Massachusetts in 1822.