Webbe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Family Crest Image (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Webbe is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a weaver which was in turn derived from the Old English word webbe, meaning a woven cloth, and was used to indicate someone employed in making such fabric. ^[1]

Early Origins of the Webbe family

The surname Webbe was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat anciently from about the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066. "This name is confined south of a line drawn from the Wash to the Dee. It is most numerous in Somerset and Wiltshire, in the west of England; but is also well represented in Suffolk in the east of England and in Northamptonshire in the midlands." ^[2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list early spellings and some of the first recordings of the family: Adam le Webbe in Essex; and Elyas le Webbe in Buckinghamshire. ^[3]

The founder of the Dorset branch of the family was William Webb, of Salisbury, merchant, in the reign of Henry VIII. "By marriage, William, the son of the founder, obtained Motcombe, in com. Dorset. Sir John Webb, in the early part of King James I.'s reign, purchased Canford estate, for 14,000/." ^[4]

In Gloucestershire, another branch of the family was found at Hatherop. "By the marriage of Mary, the heiress of the Bloomer family, to Sir John Webb, this property was acquired ; and within my memory has passed away by the marriage of the heiress of the Webbs to the Ponsonby family." ^[4]

Early History of the Webbe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Webbe research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1663, 1734, 1708, 1713 and are included under the topic Early Webbe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Webbe Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Webb, Webbe and others.

Early Notables of the Webbe family (pre 1700)

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Webbe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Webbe family to Ireland

Some of the Webbe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Webbe migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Webbe or a variant listed above:

Webbe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J Webbe, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 ^[5]

Webbe 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:

Webbe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Eliza Webbe, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Jane" in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Webbe (post 1700) +

Sir George Webbe Dasent (1817-1896), English scholar

Citations +

^ Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
^ Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
^ Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
^ Oliver, George, Collections Illustrating the History of the Catholic Religion in the Counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, and Gloucester London: Charles Dolman, 61, New Bond Street, 1857. Print
^ 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)