Newdigate History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Newdigate come from when the family resided in the settlement of Newdigate in the county of Surrey. The surname Newdigate belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Newdigate family

The surname Newdigate was first found in Surrey at Newdigate, a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley which dates back to 1167 where it was listed as Niudegate and literally meant "gate by the new wood" from the Old English words niwe + wudu + geat. 1

Early History of the Newdigate family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Newdigate research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1181, 1500, 1535, 1571, 1602, 1610, 1640, 1644, 1660, 1668, 1677, 1678, 1709 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Newdigate History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Newdigate 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. Newdigate has been recorded under many different variations, including Newdegate, Niwodegate, Newdigate, Newgate and others.

Early Notables of the Newdigate family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sebastian Newdigate, O.Cart., (1500-1535), the seventh child of John Newdigate, Sergeant-at-law
Sir John Newdigate (1571-1610), of Arbury Hall, Chilvers Coton, Warwickshire
Sir Richard Newdigate, 2nd Baronet of Arbury (1644-1709)

Newdigate migration to the United States +

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 Newdigate or a variant listed above:

Newdigate Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Newdigate, who landed in Virginia in 1664 2

Newdigate Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nathaniel Newdigate, who arrived in Rhode Island in 1750

Contemporary Notables of the name Newdigate (post 1700) +

Sir Roger Newdigate (1719-1806), 5th Baronet, an English politician and collector of antiquities, Member of Parliament for Oxford University (1751-1780), eponym of the Newdigate Prize
Ann Newdigate (1934-2023), South African-born, Canadian fibre artist who worked in tapestries
Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate Newdegate KCMG (1862-1936), British Governor of Tasmania from 1917 to 1920, and Governor of Western Australia from 1920 to 1924
Sir Edward Newdigate Newdegate KCB (1825-1902), British Lieutenant General in the Rifle Brigade
Charles Newdigate Newdegate (1816-1887), British Conservative politician
Lieut-Gen. Francis William Newdigate (1822-1893), British peer
Francis Parker Newdigate (1774-1862), British peer
Charles Newdigate Newdegate (1816-1887), British Conservative politician
Sir Edward Newdigate Newdegate (1825-1902), English army officer and Governor of Bermuda (1888-1892)

The Newdigate 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: Confide recte agens
Motto Translation: Trust in fair dealing.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)