Wolstencraft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Wolstencraft

What does the name Wolstencraft mean?

The ancient roots of the Wolstencraft family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Wolstencraft comes from when the family lived at Woolstencroft in the county of Cheshire. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English personal name Wulfstan and the Old English word croft, meaning paddock or enclosure. The name thus translates as the dweller at Wulfstan's paddock.

Early Origins of the Wolstencraft family

The surname Wolstencraft was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Wolstencraft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolstencraft research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1266 is included under the topic Early Wolstencraft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolstencraft Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Wolstencraft has appeared include Wolstencroft, Wolstencraft and others.

Early Notables of the Wolstencraft family

Wolstencraft of Mark's Gate

Migration of the Wolstencraft family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Wolstencraft arrived in North America very early: William Wolstencroft arrived in Philadelphia in 1860; Abraham Wolstencroft arrived in Philadelphia in 1836.