Warnett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Warnett is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a person who grew or sold pomegranates. This metonymic name, which is a type of name that refers to the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, is derived from the old French words pome, which meant fruit or apple, and grenate, which meant full of seeds. The name of the precious stone is derived from the same source. The name Warnett is also a metonymic occupational name for a maker or fitter of hinges, derived from the Old French word carne, which means hinge. The name Warnett was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and it spread into the county of Lancashire.

Early Origins of the Warnett family

The surname Warnett was first found in Lancashire at Leck, a township and chapelry, in the parish of Tunstall, union of Lancaster, hundred of Lonsdale south of the Sands. "This township belonged to the Gernets, of Halton, in the reign of John." 1

"According to Domesday Book, Skelmersdale, [Lancashire] was in 1066 held by Uctred, who also held Dalton and Uplitherland; like these it was assessed as one ploughland, and was worth the normal 32d. beyond the usual rent. Later it was part of the forest fee, held by the Gernet family. The first of them known to have held it, Vivian Gernet, gave Skelmersdale and other manors to Robert Travers; these were held in 1212 by Henry Travers under Roger Gernet." 2

Early History of the Warnett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Warnett research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1575, 1605, 1606 and 1608 are included under the topic Early Warnett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Warnett Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Warnett were recorded, including Garnett, Garnet, Garnette, Gernet, Gernett and others.

Early Notables of the Warnett family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Roger Gernett of Lancashire; Henry Garnet (1555-1606), sometimes Henry Garnett, an English Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born at Heanor, Derbyshire, the son of Brian Garnett and his wife, Alice Jay. "Father John Gerard states that his parents were well esteemed, and well able to maintain their family...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Warnett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Warnett migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Warnett arrived in North America very early:

Warnett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Warnett, who arrived in Virginia in 1629 3

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
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)