Morwoit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Morwoit is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in either of the settlements called Marwood in the counties of Devon and Durham. The surname Morwoit belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. However, some experts theorize that the surname Morwoit may be a nickname derived from the Old French word Malregard, which means evil look or evil eye.

Early Origins of the Morwoit family

The surname Morwoit was first found in Devon at Widworthy, a parish, in the union of Honiton, hundred of Colyton. "The church [of Widworthy], an ancient structure, contains the effigy of a knight in armour, and a fine monument by Bacon to the memory of James Marwood, Esq., a liberal benefactor to the parish. Benedictus Marwood, Esq., in 1742 gave £100, and the Rev. Joseph Somaster in 1770 left £50, to be applied to education." 1

Early History of the Morwoit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morwoit research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1601, 1635, 1672, 1680, 1681, 1725, 1739 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Morwoit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morwoit Spelling Variations

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. Morwoit has been recorded under many different variations, including Marwood, Marward, Morwood and others.

Early Notables of the Morwoit family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir George Marwood, (1601-1680), 1st Baronet ; Sir Henry Marwood, (c. 1635-1725), 2nd Baronet; Sir Samuel Marwood, (c. 1672-1739), 3rd Baronet; and Sir William Marwood, (c. 1681-1740) 4th Baronet. "The worthies of Honiton [Devon] are few and far between. The Pole family...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morwoit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Morwoit family

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 Morwoit or a variant listed above: Joe Marwood settled in Virginia in 1635; John Marwood settled in Barbados in 1685; Jonas Marwood settled in Maryland in 1727; Alexander Morwood arrived in Philadelphia in 1850..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.