Show ContentsWiche History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wiche family

The surname Wiche was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Westcott. Cornwall was a land set apart, a land of mystique and quaint customs, more strongly related to Brittany and Wales than to England. It was not until the 10th century that they submitted to the Saxon rule of England. Since then, their influence has moved east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

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 Wiche family

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

Wiche 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 and others.

Early Notables of the Wiche family

Notable amongst the family at this time was 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)...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wiche Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wiche family

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 Wiche or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Wiche (post 1700) +

  • John Wiche (1718-1794), English Baptist minister, born at Taunton, Somerset, younger brother of George Wiche (d. 2 Nov. 1794, aged 78), originally a mechanic who became steward of the assembly rooms, Taunton 1


  1. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019


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