Contents [hide]

Wingfield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Wingfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Wingfield family

The surname Wingfield was first found in Suffolk at Wingfield, an ancient Saxon village that dates back to c. 1035 when it was listed as Wingefeld and probably meant "open land of the family or followers of a man called Wiga," from the Old English personal name + "-inga" + "feld." 1

"The Wingfields of Wingfield and Letheringham, both in Suffolk, a distinguished family of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, are traced nearly to the Conquest, though they do not appear to have been lords of the manor or castle of Wingfield before the reign of Edward II. " 2

Wingfield Castle, was the ancestral home of the Wingfield family and their heirs. Of note was Sir John de Wingfield (died c. 1361), Chief Administrator to Edward the Black Prince, a title received c. 1351 as a result of his devotion his prince including Crecy in 1346 and in the Normandy campaign in 1347-1348. Wingfield College "was founded on the south side of the church [of Wingfield] by the will of Sir John Wingfield, in 1362, for a provost and nine priests." 3

Early History of the Wingfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wingfield research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1361, 1403, 1454, 1456, 1464, 1523, 1525, 1533, 1534, 1536, 1539, 1545, 1550, 1551, 1552, 1560, 1597, 1621, 1626, 1628, 1634, 1660 and 1677 are included under the topic Early Wingfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wingfield Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Winfield, Wingfield and others.

Early Notables of the Wingfield family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir John Wingfield (d. 1361), High Steward and Councilor to the Prince of Wales, who accompanied the Prince on his campaigns in France, Chief Administrator to Edward the Black Prince
Sir Richard Wingfield, (1456-1525), from Letheringham, Suffolk, English courtier, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1523-1525)
Sir Robert Wingfield of Letheringham, Suffolk (1403-1454), an English knight
Sir Robert Wingfield (1464?-1539), an English diplomat
Lady Bridget Wingfield (died 1534) close friend and lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn
Richard Wingfield, 1st Viscount Powerscourt (1550-1634), an English nobleman
Sir Anthony Wingfield (died 1552) MP KG PC, an English soldier, politician, courtier, Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk (1551-1552), and Vice-Chamberlain of the Household in the reign of Edward VI
John Wingfield (1560-1626), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Peterborough (1597), Stamford (1621) and Grantham (1626)
Sir Humphrey Wingfield (died 1545), an English lawyer, Speaker of the House of Commons of England (1533-1536)

Wingfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Wingfield is the 3,886^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Wingfield family to Ireland

Some of the Wingfield 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.

Wingfield migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wingfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Maria Wingfield (c.1550-1631), who settled in Virginia in 1607 aboard the ship "Discovery", and rose to become Colonial Governor of Virginia in 1607
Robert Wingfield, who arrived in Maine in 1621
Thomas Wingfield, who settled in Virginia in 1636
Jane Wingfield, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 5

Wingfield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Wingfield, who landed in America in 1764 5
William Wingfield, aged 30, who arrived in Virginia in 1773 5

Wingfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John G Wingfield, who landed in Texas in 1836 5
C Wingfield, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 5

Wingfield migration to Australia +

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

Wingfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Wingfield, English convict who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for life, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Robert Wingfield, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Daniel Wingfield, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Anna Maria" in 1849 8

Wingfield 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:

Wingfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Wingfield, aged 31, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888
Fanny Wingfield, aged 29, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Wingfield (post 1700) +

Dontonio B. Wingfield (b. 1974), former American professional NBA basketball player
Frederick Davis "Ted" Wingfield (1899-1975), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1923 through 1927
William Monroe Wingfield, American politician, Socialist Workers Candidate for Presidential Elector for Arizona, 1968 9
Junius Wingfield, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1860 9
Gus Wingfield, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1996, 2000, 2004 9
Mrs. George Wingfield Jr., American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nevada, 1960 9
George Wingfield Jr., American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nevada, 1956 9
George Wingfield, American Republican politician, Member of Republican National Committee from Nevada, 1924 9
James Digman Wingfield (1800-1872), English painter
Sir Charles John Wingfield KCSI, CB, MP, (1820-1892), English politician, Member of Parliament for Gravesend (1868-1874)
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wingfield family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Charles H Wingfield (b. 1908), English Petty Officer Cook (S) serving for the Royal Navy from All Saints, Hastings, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 10

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Basil Frederick Percy Bamsay Wingfield (b. 1905), English Chief Electrical Artificer from Launceston, Cornwall, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 11

The Wingfield Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fidelite est de Dieu
Motto Translation: Faith is in God.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ANNA MARIA 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AnnaMaria.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html