Wintworthey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient history of the Wintworthey name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in either of the places called Wentworth in Cambridgeshire or the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Wintworthey belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Wintworthey family

The surname Wintworthey was first found in Yorkshire in the Saxon Wappentake of Strafford, held by Ulsi, a Saxon Thane. Another reference claims the that Wentworth was a chapelry in the parish of Wath-upon-Dearne in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is here at Wentworth that the Old Trinity Church still stands today.

"The estate is said to have been in the possession of the family before the Norman Conquest. The name is written in [the] Domesday [Book, as] Winterwade and in the XIII century it was changed to Wyntword. The male line continued at Wentworth until the extinction of the earldom of Strafford in the XVIII centruy; and the existing Wentworth, of Wentworth Castle, is descended from the family on the female side." 1

"Thomas Wentworth of 1587 lies in rich armour on his tomb, with his wife in a Paris hat and dainty ruff, both a little battered. Sir William has a canopied wall monument with a family group kneeling at prayer" 2

"The most remarkable member of this family was Sir Thomas Wentworth, the second Baronet, celebrated in history as the Earl of Strafford, after whose attainder and execution in 1641, his estates and titles were restored to his son William, who dying without issue in 1695, left his estates to the Hon. Thomas Watson, third son of his eldest sister Anne, who had married Edward Watson, Lord Rockingham. Mr. Watson, on succeeding to his uncle's property, assumed the name of Wentworth in addition to his own.

The mansion of the Wentworth family, originally called Wentworth-Woodehouse, was rebuilt by the first Marquess of Rockingham, who gave it its modern appellation of Wentworth House." 3

Early History of the Wintworthey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wintworthey research. Another 399 words (28 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1448, 1462, 1464, 1478, 1499, 1501, 1525, 1550, 1551, 1558, 1584, 1591, 1593, 1599, 1626, 1632, 1639, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1660, 1667, 1686, 1695, 1700, 1730, 1744, 1791 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Wintworthey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wintworthey Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Wintworthey include Wentworth, Winterwade, Wintworth and others.

Early Notables of the Wintworthey family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Roger Wentworth (died 1462), esquire, of North Elmsall, Yorkshire; and his son, Sir Philip Wentworth, Knight, of Nettlestead, Suffolk (c. 1424-1464), an English knight and courtier; Sir Henry Wentworth of Nettlestead, Suffolk, KB (c. 1448-c. 1499), de jure 4th Baron Despenser, grandfather of Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, and the great-grandfather of Jane's son, Edward VI; Margaret Wentworth (c. 1478-c.1550), wife of Sir John Seymour and the mother of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII of England, grandmother of King Edward VI of England; Thomas Wentworth, 1st Baron Wentworth...
Another 105 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wintworthey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wintworthey family to Ireland

Some of the Wintworthey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 109 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wintworthey family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wintworthey or a variant listed above: William Wentworth, born in Lincolnshire, England, who came to Massachusetts in 1636; Hugh Wentworth, who settled in Bermuda in 1635; Ken Wentworth settled in Virginia in 1652.

The Wintworthey 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: En Dieu est tout
Motto Translation: In God is everything.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mee, Arthur (ed), The King's England Yorkshire West Riding. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1950. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.