Whitelocke is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name. It was a name given to a person who was a person with white hair. Looking back further, we find the name Whitelocke was derived from the Old English words whit, meaning white and lock, meaning tress or hair. [1] [2]
The surname Whitelocke was first found in Devon, but much later "the Whitlocks were best represented in the Halstead [Essex] district." [3]
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 has only two listings for the family with very early spellings: Emma filius Witlok, Huntingdonshire; and William Witlohc, Oxfordshire. [4]
Kirby's Quest also had two early entries for the family in Somerset: William atte Whytelak and Walter Whytelock. Both were "1 Edward III," in other words entered in the first year of King Edward III's reign. [5]
Much further to the north in Scotland, "Th Quhyteloke" was Burgess of Edinburgh in 1403 and Robert Quhytlok was a tenant under the Abbey of Kelso in 1567. [6]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitelocke research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1586, 1624, 1565, 1608, 1564, 1570, 1632, 1610, 1622, 1605, 1675, 1631, 1701, 1654, 1659, 1584, 1537, 1625 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Whitelocke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Whitelocke has appeared include Whitlock, Whitelock, Witlock and others.
Notables of the family at this time include Edmund Whitelocke (1565-1608), English courtier, born in the parish of St. Gabriel, Fenchurch Street, London, on 10 Feb. 1564, the eldest son of Richard Whitelocke, merchant. His youngest brother, Sir James Whitelocke SL (1570-1632), was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1622. [7]
His son, Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (1605-1675), was an English lawyer...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitelocke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Whitelocke family to IrelandSome of the Whitelocke family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Whitelocke arrived in North America very early: Thomas and Ann Whitlock, who settled in Virginia in 1638; William Whitelock settled in Barbados in 1776.
England
Scotland
