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Show ContentsWestern History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Western is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Western 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 Western family

The surname Western 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 Western family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Western 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 Western History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Western Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Weston, Atgate and others.

Early Notables of the Western family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Nicholas Weston (1611-1656), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War; Charles Weston, 3rd Earl of Portland (1639-1665...

Western Ranking

In the United States, the name Western is the 8,423rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Ireland Migration of the Western family to Ireland

Some of the Western family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Western migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Western name or one of its variants:

Western Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Western, who landed in America in 1764 8
Western Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Western, aged 27, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 8

Australia Western migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Western Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Sophia Western who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales 9
  • Mr. John Western who was convicted in Devon, England for life, transported aboard the "Circassian" on 4th November 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • Mary Western, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Delhi" in 1839 11
  • Henry Western, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 12
  • Ann Western, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Western 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:

Western Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Octavius Western, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • T O Western, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Jane 13
  • Mr. Western, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Jane" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 24th May 1841 14
  • Charles Western, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1871
  • Ellen Western, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1871
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Western (post 1700) +

  • Thomas G. Western, American politician, Delegate to Texas Consultation of 1835 from District of Goliad, 1835 15
  • Mark S. Western, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1952 15
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. George Edward Western, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking, was later killed in action in 1942 16
HMS Royal Oak
  • Raymond John Western (1922-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 17
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  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)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  10. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 8th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/circassian
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DELHI 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Delhi.htm
  12. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOFFATT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Moffatt.htm
  13. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  16. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  17. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
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