Show ContentsWeech History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

  • Origins Available:
  • England
Weech Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Weech

What does the name Weech mean?

The distinguished name Weech is derived from the English word "wedge" and the Old French word "wage," which originally meant a "pledge, surety." 1 In other words, the name was an occupational name for "one who acted as pledge or surety for another." 2

Another source claims the name was derived from the Old English word "Wegga." 3

Early Origins of the Weech family

The surname Weech was first found in the 13th century when William Wegge was recorded. In 1327, John Wegge was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls as holding lands in Somerset and later, Robert Wegge was listed in the Feet of Fines for Surrey (1391-1392.) 3

Richard of Chichester (1197-1253), also known as Richard de Wych, Bishop of Chichester (1244-1253) is a saint who was canonized in 1262. A shrine was built in Chichester Cathedral dedicated to Richard and had become a centre of pilgrimage. In 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII, the shrine was plundered and destroyed by order of Thomas Cromwell. St Richard of Chichester is patron saint of Sussex since 2007, his translated saint's day of 16 June is celebrated as Sussex Day.

Wych Street was a street in London, that ran west from the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand to a point towards the southern end of Drury Lane. It was demolished by the London County Council in around 1901 as part of the redevelopment that created the Kingsway and Aldwych.

Early History of the Weech family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weech research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1384, 1385, 1386, 1390, 1393, 1554, 1593, 1607, 1621, 1628, 1632, 1643, 1659, 1661, 1676, 1678, 1681, 1682, 1685, 1689, 1692, 1693, 1695, 1699, 1702, 1705, 1707 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Weech History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weech Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Wadge, Watch, Wage, Wych, Wich, Wedge, Wegge and others.

Early Notables of the Weech family

John Wych (fl. 1384-1393), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Hereford in 1384, 1385, 1386, 1390 and 1393; Sir Cyril Wyche PRS (1632-c.1707), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Callington (1661-1678), for East Grinstead (1681-1685), for Saltash (1685-1689); and for Preston (1702-1705), Chief Secretary for Ireland (1676-1682) and (1692-1693); Sir Cyril Wyche, 1st Baronet (c.1695-1756), Envoy Extraordinary...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weech Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weech 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:

Weech Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Weech, aged 34, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adamant" in 1874 4
RMS Quetta
  • Mr. R. R. Weech, Australian engineer who was aboard the ship "RMS Quetta" when she struck rocks and sunk on route to England on18th February 1890, presumed lost at sea
  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html

Houseofnames.com on Facebook