Show ContentsEdgewithey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestry of the name Edgewithey dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the parish of Edgeworth, Gloucestershire, and/or at Edgworth in Lancashire.

Early Origins of the Edgewithey family

The surname Edgewithey was first found in Edgworth, a township in the chapelry of Turton, in the hundred of Salford, Lancashire. It comprises 2960 acres of pasture and moor and dates back to 1212 when it was listed as Eggewrthe. The name probably means "enclosure on an edge or hillside" from the Old English "ecg" + "worth." 1

Edgeworth is a small village and civil parish in Gloucestershire that had only 149 inhabitants as of 1848. 2

Edgeworth, later called Edgeware was a village in Middlesex that was the original homestead of Roger Edgeworth, the Elizabethan monk whose family emigrated to Ireland. 3 Stephen de Eddeworth was Warden of the City of London in 1268.

Early History of the Edgewithey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edgewithey research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1554, 1560, 1583, 1593, 1619, 1641 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Edgewithey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edgewithey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Edgewithey have been found, including Edgeworth, Edgworth, Edgeware, Edgeworthe and others.

Early Notables of the Edgewithey family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Roger Edgeworth (d. 1560), was a Catholic divine, born at Holt Castle, the seat of Sir William Stanley, brother to the Earl of Derby. He was a canon of the cathedrals of Salisbury and Wells...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Edgewithey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Edgewithey family to Ireland

Some of the Edgewithey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 162 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Edgewithey family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Edgewithey, or a variant listed above: John Edgeworth who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1786; followed by George and Robert Edgeworth in 1868.



The Edgewithey 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: Constans contraria spernit
Motto Translation: The resolute man despises difficulties.


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Burke, John Esq. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of The Landed Gentry; or Commoners of Great Britian and Ireland. London: Henry Colburn Publisher, 13, Great Marlborough Street, 1837, Print.


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