Tyrwhitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Tyrwhitt surname comes from the place name Trewhitt in Northumberland; the first bearer of this surname was most likely someone who had come from that place to a new location.

Early Origins of the Tyrwhitt family

The surname Tyrwhitt was first found in Northumberland where the original reference of the name was found at High Trewhitt, and Low Trewhitt, townships, in the parish and union of Rothbury.

Originally named Tirwit (c. 1150-1162), the name possibly meant "river-bend where wood is obtained" 1 These small townships have grown little in size since early times as late as the mid 1800s, there were only 130 inhabitants there.

But looking back, other records show Sir Herculus de Trywhitt was knighted by Duke William in 1068 and granted the lands of Tyrwhitt or Terwit, however there is no record of the place in the Domesday Book.

Later John de Tyrwyt was listed in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1296 and William Tyrwhit was listed in there in 1383. 2 The parish of Stainfield in Lincolnshire was an ancient homestead of the family. "There are some remains of an ancient mansion of the Tyrwhitt family, now occupied as a farmhouse." 3

Early History of the Tyrwhitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tyrwhitt research. Another 209 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1428, 1577, 1598, 1611, 1624, 1628, 1633, 1663, 1667, 1688, 1708, 1730, 1741, 1760, 1786, 1808 and 1919 are included under the topic Early Tyrwhitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyrwhitt Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Trywhitt, Terwitt, Trewitt, Trewhitt, Truitt, Terwit, Truet and many more.

Early Notables of the Tyrwhitt family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Philip Tyrwhitt, 1st Baronet (d. 1624) of Stainfield in Lincolnshire
Sir Edward Tyrwhitt, 2nd Baronet (1577-1628)
Sir Philip Tyrwhitt, 3rd Baronet (1598-c. 1667)
Sir Philip Tyrwhitt, 4th Baronet (1633-1688)
Sir John Tyrwhitt, 5th Baronet (c. 1663-1741)
Sir John de la Fountain Tyrwhitt, 6th Baronet (1708-1760)

Tyrwhitt migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Tyrwhitt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

O. Tyrwhitt, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1880 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Tyrwhitt (post 1700) +

Nicholas Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler OBE (b. 1965), English businessman from Ludlow, Shropshire, founder of Charles Tyrwhitt, a British clothing retailer, specialising in men’s shirts, shoes, suits, knitwear, and accessories
Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt (1762-1833), English politician, Member of Parliament for Okehampton (1796–1802)
Thomas Tyrwhitt (1730-1786), English classical commentator
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt (1870-1951), British admiral of the Royal Navy in World War I, eponym of Mount Tyrwhitt, a mountain in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada
Richard Tyrwhitt (1844-1900), Canadian politician, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Simcoe South (1882-1900)
Brigadier Dame Mary Joan Caroline Tyrwhitt DBE, TD (1903-1997), British Army officer, first director of the Women's Royal Army Corps
Sir John Tyrwhitt, 5th Baronet, a member of the Parliament of Great Britain in the 1720s
Jacqueline Tyrwhitt (1905-1983), British architect, academic, professor and author
Gerald Tyrwhitt -Wilson (1883-1950), 14th Baron Berners, British composer, novelist, painter, and aesthete

The Tyrwhitt 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: Time tryeth truth
Motto Translation: Time tests faith

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html