Show ContentsWrathall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Wrathall family derived their name from the "Anglo-Saxon wyrhta [which] signifies, in its widest sense, the same as the Latin faber, a workman of any kind, but more specifically an artificer in hard materials. The eminent antiquary who bears this surname observes, that "Smith was the general term for a worker in metals, and Wright for one who worked in wood and other materials. Hence in the later English period smith became the peculiar name of a blacksmith, and wright of a carpenter, as it is still in Scotland." [1]

Early Origins of the Wrathall family

The surname Wrathall was first found in Sussex where Patere le Writh was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1214. Years later, the same rolls but in 1255 and this time in Essex, listed Robert le Wrichte in 1255. Richard le Wrete was found in the Assize Rolls for Kent in 1317 and later, Hugh le Wreghte in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. Thomas le Wrighte was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327 and Walter le Wrytte in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. [2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Robert le Wriete in Cambridgeshire; Roger le Wriete in Cambridgeshire; and Margery le Wrytte in Cambridgeshire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Adam Wrygson; Robert Wreghtson; and Johannes Redebarn, wryght. [3]

"This name is distributed over England, but is comparatively infrequent in the counties on the south coast, and in the northern counties north of Yorkshire. It exists in densest numbers in the counties lying between the Wash and the Thames, being especially numerous in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, and also, but to a less extent, in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. In the midlands it is nearly as crowded, and has its chief centres in Warwickshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, etc. It is also very frequent in Lincolnshire and Cheshire, and is somewhat less numerous in Lancashire and Yorkshire. The Wrights have established themselves in Scotland, though in no great numbers, and not usually north of Perthshire.' [4]

Early History of the Wrathall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wrathall research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1342, 1590, 1602, 1609, 1611, 1615, 1623, 1634, 1637, 1654, 1657, 1658, 1660, 1664, 1670, 1675, 1682, 1683, 1685, 1687, 1689, 1690, 1721 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Wrathall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wrathall Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wright, Right, Write, Wrighte and others.

Early Notables of the Wrathall family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Laurence Wright (1590-1657), an English physician, notably physician in ordinary to Oliver Cromwell and to the Charterhouse; John Wright (fl. 1602-1658), a major London publisher and bookseller, one of the two booksellers who sold Shakespeare's Sonnets in 1609 a member of the syndicate that printed the Shakespeare First Folio in 1623; Sir Henry Wright, 1st Baronet (c.1637-1664), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons (1660-1664); John...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wrathall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Wrathall family to Ireland

Some of the Wrathall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 132 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Wrathall migration to Australia +

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

Wrathall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Stephen Wrathall, British Convict who was convicted in Kendal, Cumbria (Westmorland), England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) [5]

Contemporary Notables of the name Wrathall (post 1700) +

  • Nicholas D. Wrathall, American producer and director, known for Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia (2013), Undermined-Tales from the Kimberley (2018) and Gardens of the Night (2008)
  • Mark Wrathall (b. 1965), American professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford and a fellow and tutor at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
  • Stephen Wrathall, English actor, known for Coronation Street (1960), Floodtide (1987) and Brookside (1982)
  • Harry Wrathall (1869-1944), English cricketer who played played in 288 first-class matches from 1894 to 1907
  • John James Wrathall (1913-1978), English-born, Rhodesian politician, the last white President of Rhodesia (1976-1978)
  • Jeremy Wrathall, Australian newscaster, known for his work on Sky World News (1989), Sky Midnight News (2010) and Sky News Tonight (2014)
  • William George Picton "Bill" Wrathall (1931-1995), New Zealand cartoonist for the Truth newspaper from 1976 to 1991, he also produced several comic strips, including Godzone for the New Zealand Listener and Pioneer Go Home for Truth (from 1974)
  • John Wrathall, New Zealand former football player who represented New Zealand (1960)
  • Frank Brian Wrathall Jr. (b. 1986), British motor racing driver who has competed in the British Touring Car Championship
  • John Wrathall Bull (1804-1886), English settler to colonial South Australia, inventor and author from St Paul's Cray, Kent, known for his agricultural stripping machine


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden


Houseofnames.com on Facebook