Warthough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Today's generation of the Warthough family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Warthough family lived in Cheshire, at the village of Wardle.

Early Origins of the Warthough family

The surname Warthough was first found in Cheshire at Wardle, a township, in the parish of Bunbury, union of Nantwich, first division of the hundred of Eddisbury. 1 The township dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Warhelle. 2 By 1184, the village was known as Wardle. Literally the place name means "watch or look-out hill," from the Old English words "weard" + "hyll." 3 There is also a village named Wardle in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester and this village dates back to c. 1193 when it was first listed as Wardhul. Some of the first records of the family appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, specifically: Richard de Wardle in Lincolnshire; and Nicholas de Werdhyl in Lancashire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Johannes de Wardale. 4 Up in Scotland, the name was "of local origin, probably from Wartle in the parish of Lumphanan" 5 in Aberdeen. This latter reference was in 1696, hundreds of years after the aforementioned English listings.

Early History of the Warthough family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Warthough research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1683, 1684 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Warthough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Warthough Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Warthough include Wardle, Wardell and others.

Early Notables of the Warthough family

More information is included under the topic Early Warthough Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Warthough family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Warthoughs to arrive on North American shores: Christopher Wardle who settled in Barbados in 1679 with his servants; William Wardle arrived in Pennsylvania in 1685; Thomas Wardle arrived in Philadelphia in 1818..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)