Westen History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe name Westen came to England with the ancestors of the Westen family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Westen family lived in Staffordshire, at Weston-under-Lizard. The name literally means "dweller at the west farm," or "one who lived to the west of the village." 1 "The English gazetteers give about fifty parishes and hamlets of this name, which signifies simply ' the western enclosure,' and corresponds with Easton, Norton, and Sutton. From divers of these, some of the families of Weston have sprung; but the widely-spread Westons of Surrey and Sussex are descended from the house of De Wistoneston, or Wiston, of Wiston, co. Sussex." 2 Early Origins of the Westen familyThe surname Westen was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat at Weston-under-Lizard, having been granted lands as a tenant in chief by William the Conqueror. Reginald Bailleul was from Bailleul-En-Gouffern at Orne, arrondisement of Argentan, in the canton of Trun, in Normandy. 3 The parish of Kelvedon in Essex was once a family seat. "Felix Hall, the seat of Lord Western, a handsome modern mansion with an elegant portico, is situated on an eminence surrounded by a park." 4 The Domesday Book of 1086 had two early entries for the family: Godwinus de Westuna in Huntingdonshire; and Adestan de Westuna in Cambridgeshire. 5 Early rolls revealed the various spellings used throughout ancient Britain: Elyas de Westone in Lincolnshire c. 1160; Payn de Weston in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1268; William Weston in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Alan ate Weston in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. 1 In Scotland, "there are places named Weston and Westoun in Lanarkshire, and a Weston near Dolphinston, Peeblesshire. William de Westone of Wyggetone rendered homage in 1296. John of Westone was juror on an inquisition at Peebles, 1304, and John de Westone held a ten-pound land in the tenement of Mertone near Edinburgh before 1315. William of Westone was in the king of England's service in France, 1369." 6 Early History of the Westen familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westen research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1200, 1466, 1511, 1515, 1536, 1540, 1542, 1566, 1567, 1573, 1577, 1582, 1605, 1609, 1611, 1612, 1620, 1628, 1634, 1635, 1639, 1640, 1652, 1656, 1660, 1663, 1665, 1678, 1681, 1688, 1689, 1698 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Westen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Westen Spelling VariationsMultitudes 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 Weston, Atgate and others. Early Notables of the Westen familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was William Weston, a 15th-century English merchant from Bristol who is believed to have been the first Englishman to lead an expedition to North AmericaSir Francis Weston (1511?-1536), was an English courtier, born about 1515, and the only son of Sir Richard Weston (1466?-1542.) Sir Francis was charged with high treason and adultery with the Queen Anne Boleyn.His father, Sir Richard was an English courtier and diplomatist, son of Edmund Weston, an adherent of Henry VII. Sir William Weston (d. 1540) was his brother. 7Edward Weston (1566-1635), was a Roman Catholic controversialist, son of... Migration of the Westen family to IrelandSome of the Westen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Westen or a variant listed above: Westen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
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