Westgarth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Westgarth surname is thought to pre-date the Norman invasion of Great Britain. It is derived from the Old English words "West" and "cot," together meaning "west cottage or shelter." The name was used by several different parishes and hamlets in counties Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. As a surname, it would have been first used by someone who came from Westcott.

Early Origins of the Westgarth family

The surname Westgarth was first found in Devon where the first recorded instance of the name seems to be of Westcote, in the Domesday Book of 1086. Other early references include Tubertus de Westcotta, listed in the Pipe Rolls for Berkshire in 1170, and Robert de Westecote listed in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1221. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Ricardus de Westkote in Buckinghamshire, Nicholas de Westcote in Oxfordshire, and William de Westcote in Somerset. Kirby's Quest taken during the reign of Edward III lists Richard de Wescote in Somerset. 2 3

"The Westcotts are now established in the North Molton district. Westcote was the name of an old gentle family of Shobrook that dated back to the reign of Henry VIII. The Westacotts are at home in Barnstaple and its vicinity. Martin Westacot was a Barnstaple man in the reign of Anne. Westacott is the name of hamlets in North Devon. There are also hamlets named Westcott in the county. In fact, Westcott and Westcote are common place - names in the south of England. Wescott is the Somerset form of the surname." 4

Early History of the Westgarth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Westgarth research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1524, 1582, 1624 and 1636 are included under the topic Early Westgarth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Westgarth Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Westcote, Westcot, Westcott, Westecott, Westacott and others.

Early Notables of the Westgarth family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Thomas Westcote of WestcoteWestcott; and Sebastian Westcott (also spelt Wescott or Westcote) (c.1524-1582), an English organist at St. Paul's Cathedral, best known for staging performances of plays with the Children of Paul's.Thomas Westcote (fl. 1624-1636), was an English topographer, baptised at Shobrooke in Devonshire. He was the third son of Philip Westcote...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Westgarth Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Westgarth migration to Australia +

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

Westgarth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Westgarth, British Convict who was convicted in Northumberland, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Westgarth migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6

Westgarth Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Westgarth, aged 28, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 7
Mr. John Westgarth, (b. 1607), aged 28, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Westgarth (post 1700) +

William Westgarth (1815-1889), Scottish-born, Australian colonist and politician, eldest son of John Westgarth, surveyor-general of customs for Scotland; he emigrated to Port Phillip, afterwards Victoria in 1840 9
Scott Westgarth (1986-2018), British light heavyweight boxer who died at the age of 31 after sustaining injuries following a victory in a 10 round light heavyweight bout

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019