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![Show Contents]() Waggestaff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Early Origins of the Waggestaff familyThe surname Waggestaff was first found in Derbyshire where the name is generally thought to have been an occupational name for someone who could brandish a "wag" or "staff" with great effect. 1 Early History of the Waggestaff familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waggestaff research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1618, 1633, 1642, 1645, 1655, 1662, 1677, 1685, 1697, 1712 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Waggestaff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Waggestaff Spelling VariationsThe first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Waggestaff has been spelled many different ways, including Wagstaffe, Waggstaffe, Wagstaff and others. Early Notables of the Waggestaff familyNotables of this surname at this time include: John Wagstaffe (1633-1677), an English writer on witchcraft who held an estate at Hasland in Derbyshire; and John Wagstaffe (1618-1697), of Ladybellegate House, Longsmith Street, Gloucester, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Gloucester in 1685.
Sir Joseph Wagstaffe (fl. 1655), English Royalist, born about 1612, was probably the seventh and youngest son of Richard Wagstaffe of Herberbury in Warwickshire. "Joseph was a soldier of fortune, and at the beginning of 1642 was major in an Irish regiment in the service of France. In 1655 the Western Royalists asked for Wagstaffe to be...
Another 126 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waggestaff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Waggestaff familyThousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Waggestaffs to arrive in North America: Mary Wagstaff settled in Virginia in 1655 with her husband; William Wagstaff settled in Rappahannock in Virginia in 1728; Richard Wagstaffe settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1750..
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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