Contents [hide]

Witham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Witham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Witham family

The surname Witham was first found in Lincolnshire at North Witham, a small village in South Kesteven. However, Witham is also a town in the county of Essex. The parish of Witham appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 and the manor of Witham was given to the Knights Templar in 1148. John de Wytham, was 'the king's chaplain' in 1286. 1 Witham Friary is a small village and civil parish located in Somerset. "Ledstone Hall [in Ledstone, in the West Riding of Yorkshire] is a handsome mansion, anciently the seat of the Witham family." 2

Early History of the Witham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Witham research. Another 255 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1420, 1454, 1458, 1460, 1467, 1473, 1489, 1538, 1604, 1624, 1625, 1634, 1654, 1655, 1659, 1668, 1704, 1707, 1725, 1728, 1738, 1752, 1777, 1799 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Witham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Witham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Witham, Withem, Wittam, Witam, Withum, Wittum, Whittam, Whitham, Whittum, Whittem, Wytham, Wyttam, Wyttum, Wythum, Withams, Wittams and many more.

Early Notables of the Witham family

Notables of the family at this time include

William Witham (or Wytham) (died before 1473), English cleric who was incumbent at St Marylebone until 12 November 1454, when he exchanged the office for that of Archdeacon of Stow. He was then Archde...
Thomas Witham (c.1420-1489), was an English Chancellor of the Exchequer under Kings Henry VI and Edward IV; and Thomas Whetham, was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in...
George Witham (1655-1725), was an English Roman Catholic prelate, born on 16 May 1655, the third son of George Witham of Cliffe Hall, near Darlington, Yorkshire. "His brother, Thomas Witham, D.D. (d...

Witham Ranking

In the United States, the name Witham is the 6,886^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Witham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Witham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Witham who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630
John Witham, who landed in Maryland in 1651 4
Cuthbert Witham, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 4

Witham Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Witham, who settled in Maryland in 1730
Conrad Witham, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1770 4

Witham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Witham, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Miss Witham, who settled in Boston in 1823
George and Joshua Witham, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1855

Witham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Witham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Sara Witham, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1818

Witham migration to Australia +

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

Witham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Nathaniel Witham who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Thomas Witham, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Robert Witham, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. William Witham, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Miss Louisa Witham who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 4th September 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Witham 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:

Witham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Caroline Witham, (b. 1810), aged 48, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 10
Mr. William Witham, (b. 1816), aged 42, British labourer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Indiana" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1858 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Witham (post 1700) +

Drake Witham (b. 1972), American Los Angeles based stand-up comedian
Myron E. Witham (1880-1973), American football player and coach
Susan Witham, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Michigan State House of Representatives 93rd District, 1978 11
Samuel R. Witham, American politician, Representative from Pennsylvania 7th District, 1926 11
Mrs. Robert C. Witham, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1972 11
Jason G. Witham, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Mayor of Quincy, Massachusetts, 1889 11
Alphonso N. Witham, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Maine 1st District, 1908 11
A. Ray Witham, American politician, Mayor of Alhambra, California, 1950-51 11
Henry T M Witham (1779-1844), the first English person to investigate the internal structure of fossil plants, Fellow of the Geological Society of London and of the Royal and Wernerian Societies of Edinburgh
Richard "Dick" Witham (1915-1999), English professional footballer
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Witham 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: Optime merenti
Motto Translation: To the best deserving.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html