Wootten History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient history of the Wootten name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the county of Kent. Their name, however, is derived from the Old English words wudu, meaning wood, and tun, meaning enclosure or settlement, and indicates that the original bearer of the name lived in a town by a wood. "Besides parishes in many counties, there are innumerable manors, hamlets, and single houses in England so called. The word is Anglo-Saxon, and signifies the woody enclosure." 1

There are numerous places named Wooton throughout Britain, the oldest is Wooton Bassett in Wiltshire that dates back to 680, followed by Wooton Wawen in Warwickshire that dates back to 716-37 and is obviously a Anglo-Saxon place name. 2

Early Origins of the Wootten family

The surname Wootten was first found in Kent where they held a family seat at Marlay, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066. By the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name was scattered throughout Britain as in Robert de Wottone and Thomas de Wodeton in Devon, Fredeshet de Wottone in Buckinghamshire, John atte Wodeton in London and John de Wodeton or John de Wutton in Oxfordshire. 3

"Wotton, [in the parish of Landrake, Cornwall] which was formerly a seat belonging to an ancient family of the same name, has been totally demolished; but the estate connected with the house was carried with the heiress of Wotton to a branch of the Courtenays, after which it passed in a similar manner to the family of Rowse. " 4

Early History of the Wootten family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wootten research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1489, 1497, 1521, 1541, 1548, 1551, 1567, 1568, 1582, 1587, 1604, 1607, 1616, 1618, 1620, 1628, 1630, 1639, 1669, 1682 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Wootten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wootten 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 Wootten include Wooton, Wootton, Wootten, Wooten, Wooter, Wouters and others.

Early Notables of the Wootten family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Nicholas Wotton (c. 1497-1567), an English diplomat, Ambassador to France during the reign of Mary, Dean of Canterbury (1541-1567); and his brother, Sir Edward Wotton (1489-1551), Treasurer of Calais and a privy councillor to Edward VI of England; Thomas Wotton (1521-1587), Sheriff of Kent; Thomas Wotton (1521-1587); and his son, Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton (1548-1628), an English diplomat and administrator, Lord of...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wootten Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wootten migration to the United States +

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 Wootten or a variant listed above:

Wootten Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Wootten, who settled in Virginia in 1663
Mary Wootten, who settled in New England in 1689

Wootten migration to Australia +

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

Wootten Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Wootten, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Ann Wootten, English convict from Huntingdon, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
Mrs. Mary A. Wootten, (b. 1814), aged 43, Cornish housekeeper departing from Soton on 24th January 1857 aboard the ship "Sabrina" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 14th April 1857 7
Mr. Jesse Wootten, (b. 1846), aged 11, Cornish settler departing from Soton on 24th January 1857 aboard the ship "Sabrina" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 14th April 1857 7
Mr. Walter Wootten, (b. 1848), aged 9, Cornish settler departing from Soton on 24th January 1857 aboard the ship "Sabrina" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 14th April 1857 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wootten 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:

Wootten Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Wootten, aged 50, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 8
Coney Wootten, aged 42, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 8
Charles Wootten, aged 21, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 8
Harriet Wootten, aged 13, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 8
George Wootten, aged 5, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wootten (post 1700) +

Morgan Wootten (1931-2020), American basketball coach, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000
John E. Wootten, American Superintendent of Motive Power for the then Philadelphia and Reading Railroad; he developed the Wootten firebox used on steam locomotives
John Halden "Hal" Wootten AC QC (1922-2021), Australian lawyer and legal academic, founder of the University of New South Wales Faculty of Law, Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, a Chairman of the Law Reform Commission of New South Wales, and a Deputy President of the Native Title Tribunal
Benjamin "Ben" Wootten (b. 1969), English-born, New Zealand graphic designer, best known for his work on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy
Major-General Sir George Frederick Wootten (1893-1970), Australian Officer Commanding 9th Australian Infantry Division from 1943 to 1945 9

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, September 8) George Wootten. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Wootten/Sir_George_Frederick/Australia.html