Show ContentsWinnce History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Winnce reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Winnce family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Winnce family lived in Bedfordshire, at Winch. The name was originally derived from the Old English word winch, meaning sharp bend in the river.

Early Origins of the Winnce family

The surname Winnce was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Haynes. Conjecturally they are descended from Hugh de Beauchamp who occupied those lands at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, 1 a census initiated by William the Conqueror in 1086 after his Conquest of England in the year 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Winnce family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winnce research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1582, 1590, 1608, 1611, 1616, 1622, 1625, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1667, 1679, 1681, 1684, 1685, 1689 and 1703 are included under the topic Early Winnce History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winnce 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 Winche, Winch, Whinch, Whinche, Wince and others.

Early Notables of the Winnce family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Humphrey Winch (1555-1625), an English judge from Bedfordshire, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland (1608-1611) who had a distinguished career in Ireland and England, but whose reputation was seriously damaged by the Leicester witch trials of 1616. He was...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winnce Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Winnce family to Ireland

Some of the Winnce 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.

Migration of the Winnce family

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 Winnce name or one of its variants: Mary Winche who settled in New England in 1634; Katherine Winch settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1768; F. Winch settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1852.



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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