Withers (surname)
Encyclopedia
Withers is an English
surname
of Anglo-Saxon
origin. It is today a not uncommon family name throughout the Anglosphere
.
, dated 1005 A.D. where one of the witnesses signs his name as "Ego Wi[th]er minister". In the Domesday Book
of 1089 the name is shown as a tenant prior to that date. In the 11th century, the name showed no prefix, suggesting that it was not derived from a place, as were many names at that time. Rather, the name was apparently personal. The meaning of the name is uncertain. Various authorities have proposed wider (Old English, "wood"), or words meaning "to withstand", "warrior" or "willow tree".
Records of the 11th century indicate the holding of land in many counties of England by persons named Wyther. A continuous record of a Wyther family does not appear until the time of Henry II
(reigned 1154-89). This was a Wyther family of County Lancaster (now Lancashire
) including Sir Robert Wyther, Knight, of Pendleton Hall, Lancashire, and of Halton
, Cheshire
, Seneschal
to Roger de Lucy, Constable
of Chester
(1179-89). He married Joan, daughter of Sir Adam de Bostock, Knight, of Davenham
, County Chester (now Cheshire
).
By the 15th century, Wyther families descended from Sir Robert Wyther were living in Cheshire
, Lancaster
, Wiltshire
, Essex
, London
, Somerset
shire, and Hampshire
Counties. (For the Hampshire County branch, see Berry's Hampshire County Genealogy.)
was granted in the reign of Queen Mary
(1553-1558) to Sir Richard Withers of East Sheen
(ancestor of the poet George Wither
) and registered in the College of Arms
, London. The blazon
has “Argent, a chevron gules between three crescents sable” (i.e., White/silver field, red chevron between 3 black crescents).
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
origin. It is today a not uncommon family name throughout the Anglosphere
Anglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
.
History
The family name appears on various early documents such as in a charter of Æthelred IIEthelred the Unready
Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II , was king of England . He was son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. Æthelred was only about 10 when his half-brother Edward was murdered...
, dated 1005 A.D. where one of the witnesses signs his name as "Ego Wi[th]er minister". In the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1089 the name is shown as a tenant prior to that date. In the 11th century, the name showed no prefix, suggesting that it was not derived from a place, as were many names at that time. Rather, the name was apparently personal. The meaning of the name is uncertain. Various authorities have proposed wider (Old English, "wood"), or words meaning "to withstand", "warrior" or "willow tree".
Records of the 11th century indicate the holding of land in many counties of England by persons named Wyther. A continuous record of a Wyther family does not appear until the time of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
(reigned 1154-89). This was a Wyther family of County Lancaster (now Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
) including Sir Robert Wyther, Knight, of Pendleton Hall, Lancashire, and of Halton
Halton, Cheshire
Halton, formerly a separate village, is now part of the town of Runcorn, Cheshire, England. The name Halton has been assumed by the Borough of Halton, which includes Runcorn, Widnes and some outlying parishes.-Geography:...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Seneschal
Seneschal
A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
to Roger de Lucy, Constable
Parish constable
Parish constable was a law enforcement officer, usually unpaid and part-time, serving a parish. In some parishes, the position was known as "high constable", e.g. the High Constable of Holborn....
of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
(1179-89). He married Joan, daughter of Sir Adam de Bostock, Knight, of Davenham
Davenham
Davenham is a rural village and civil parish approximately south of the town of Northwich, part of the Borough of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. It has a population of 5,655. The village is close to the A556 and A533 roads and both the River Dane and...
, County Chester (now Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
).
By the 15th century, Wyther families descended from Sir Robert Wyther were living in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
shire, and Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
Counties. (For the Hampshire County branch, see Berry's Hampshire County Genealogy.)
Coat of arms
A Withers family coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
was granted in the reign of Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
(1553-1558) to Sir Richard Withers of East Sheen
East Sheen
East Sheen, also known as 'Sheen', is an affluent suburb of London, England in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It forms part of the London post town in the SW postcode area....
(ancestor of the poet George Wither
George Wither
George Wither was an English poet, pamphleteer, and satirist. He was a prolific writer who adopted a deliberate plainness of style; he was several times imprisoned. C. V...
) and registered in the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, London. The blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
has “Argent, a chevron gules between three crescents sable” (i.e., White/silver field, red chevron between 3 black crescents).
Actors
- Googie WithersGoogie WithersGeorgette Lizette "Googie" Withers CBE, AO was an English theatre, film and television actress. She was a longtime resident of Australia with her husband, the actor John McCallum, with whom she often appeared.-Biography:...
(1917- 2011), British movie actress - Grant WithersGrant WithersGrant Withers was an American film actor. With early beginnings in the silent era, Withers moved into talkies establishing himself with a list of headlined features as a young and handsome male lead...
(1905-1959), American movie actor - Isabel WithersIsabel WithersIsabel Withers was an American actress, who worked in theatre, film and television.-Theater:As a youth, Withers lived in Coffeyville, Kansas and Illinois. She attended school in Kansas City, Missouri....
(1896-1968), American actress - Jane WithersJane WithersJane Withers is an American actress best known for being one of the most popular child film stars of the 1930s and early 1940s, as well as for her portrayal of "Josephine the Plumber" in a series of TV commercials for Comet cleanser in the 1960s and early 1970s.-Biography:Withers began her career...
(born 1926), American radio, television and movie actress - Mark Withers (actor) (born 1947), American television actor
Ambassadors
- Charles D. Withers (born 1916), American diplomat, U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda (1963-1966)
- John L. Withers, IIJohn L. Withers, IIJohn L. Withers, II is an American politician and ambassador.He attended Yale University and received a Ph.D. in modern Chinese history.Withers started his career as a Political Officer at The Hague from 1985 to 1986. He also worked in several embassies including Nigeria, Russia and Ireland.Withers...
, US Ambassador to Albania
Artists
- Ernest WithersErnest WithersErnest Withers was an African American freelance photographer famous for his black and white images of the segregated South in the 1950s and 60s, Negro league baseball, and the Memphis blues scene.-Early life:...
(1922–2007), African-American photographer - Frederick Clarke WithersFrederick Clarke WithersFrederick Clarke Withers was an successful English architect in America, especially renowned for his Gothic Revival church designs.-Biography:...
(1828-1901), British-American Gothic Revival architect - George Withers, American illustrator
- Walter WithersWalter WithersWalter Herbert Withers was an Australian landscape artist and a member of the Heidelberg School of Australian impressionists.- Biography :...
(1854-1914), Australian landscape artist
Athletes
- Bob WithersBob WithersRobert 'Bob' Withers is a former Australian rules footballer who played in Tasmania and for Port Melbourne, noted for his selection in the 1961 All-Australian team....
, Australian Rules footballer during 1950s-1960s - Charlie WithersCharlie WithersCharlie Withers was a professional footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur, Boston United and represented the England B team.- Football career :...
(1922-2005), English footballer - Colin WithersColin WithersColin Charles Withers is an English former professional footballer who made 245 appearances in the Football League and a further 29 in the Eredivisie. He played as a goalkeeper, making more than 100 appearances for both Birmingham City and Aston Villa...
(born 1940), English footballer - David D. WithersDavid D. WithersDavid Dunham Withers was an American businessman and a Thoroughbred horse racing track owner and an owner/breeder...
(1821-1892), American racehorse breeder - Gadwin WithersGadwin WithersGadwin Robert James Withers was a British track and field athlete who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics.In 1908 he was eliminated in the first round of the 10 mile walk competition.-External links:*...
, British athlete in the 1908 Summer Olympics. - H. W. WithersH. W. Withers-Football:-References:...
, American college basketball and football coach - Josh WithersJosh WithersJosh Withers is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring names Jeremy Hyde and The Crybaby. He is currently working for the Northern Wrestling Federation, a professional wrestling promotion based out of Cincinnati, Ohio.-Early life:Withers grew up in the small city of Hamilton,...
(born 1986), American wrestler, a.k.a. Jeremy Hyde, The Crybaby - Lincoln WithersLincoln WithersLincoln Withers is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Crusaders of Europe's Super League. Withers previously played in the National Rugby League competition for the Canberra Raiders, St George Illawarra Dragons and the Wests Tigers...
(born 1981), Australian rugby league player - Mark Withers (footballer)Mark Withers (footballer)Mark Withers is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Melbourne and the Brisbane Bears in the Victorian Football League during the 1980s....
(born 1964), Australian Rules footballer - Michael WithersMichael WithersMichael Withers is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s who represented at international level for Ireland. He played club football in Australia for the Balmain Tigers of the National Rugby League, and in England with Wigan Warriors and Bradford Bulls of...
(born 1976), Australian rugby league footballer
Military
- Jones M. WithersJones M. WithersJones Mitchell Withers was a United States Army officer who fought during the Mexican–American War and later served as a Confederate major general during the American Civil War...
(1814-1890), Confederate major general; lawyer and politician - Ramsey Muir WithersRamsey Muir WithersRamsey Muir Withers, CMM, CD is the oldest living past Chief of the Defence Staff, the highest ranking position in the Canadian Forces 1980–1983.-Military career:...
(born 1930), Canadian soldier, former Chief of the Defence Staff
Musicians
- Bill WithersBill WithersWilliam Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
(born 1938), African-American singer-songwriter - Elisabeth WithersElisabeth WithersElisabeth Withers is an American Neo-soul and R&B singer-songwriter.-Biography:Withers was born in Joliet, Illinois, and studied at the Berklee College of Music and then at New York University. She sang as a backup vocalist for Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez, among others, and released several...
, American jazz/R&B singer - Pick WithersPick WithersDavid "Pick" Withers was the original drummer for the rock band Dire Straits and played on their first four albums, which included hit singles such as "Sultans of Swing," "Romeo and Juliet" and "Private Investigations."...
(born 1948), British drummer for the band Dire Straits - Steve WithersSteve WithersSteven Withers is an American pianist.-Biography:Withers, a native of San Diego, California, graduated from Point Loma High School in 1978. He studied composition and piano performance at the University of Cincinnati’s College/Conservatory of Music for five years before beginning his professional...
(born 1961), American pianist
Politicians
- Garrett L. WithersGarrett L. WithersGarrett Lee Withers , a Democrat, represented Kentucky in the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives....
(1884-1953), American politician - Reginald WithersReg WithersReginald Greive 'Reg' Withers is a former long-serving member of the Australian Senate, a former government minister, and former Lord Mayor of Perth....
(born 1924), Australian politician - Robert E. WithersRobert E. WithersRobert Enoch Withers was an American physician, military officer, newspaperman, politician and diplomat. He represented Virginia in the United States Senate and served as U.S. Consul in Hong Kong.-Biography:...
(1821–1907), physician, US Senator and diplomat - Thomas Jefferson WithersThomas Jefferson WithersThomas Jefferson Withers was a Confederate politician from South Carolina who served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War....
(1804-1865), Confederate politician during the American Civil War - William WithersWilliam WithersSir William Withers was Lord Mayor of London from 1707 to 1708.-Family background:He was born in 1657, a descendant of Sir Thomas Wyther. Sir William Withers' father was believed to be the first family member to spell the name Wyther as Withers.Withers married Margaret Hayes, daughter of Thomas...
(1657-1720), English politician, Lord Mayor of London (1707-1708) - William A. WithersWilliam A. WithersWilliam A Withers was twice the mayor of Cumberland, Maryland from 1873-74 and 1876-77. In addition he served on the city council.Early in his career William Withers ran a successful tanning business with his father A. L. Withers. Later in life, he was in the hardware business where he was...
(died 1887), mayor of Cumberland, Maryland, USA
Writers
- Alexander Scott WithersAlexander Scott WithersAlexander Scott Withers was the author of Chronicles of Border Warfare , a history of the early white settlement of western Virginia and consequent conflicts with American Indians.-Biography:Withers was a son of Enoch K...
(1792-1865), American historian of early Appalachian Indian-white warfare - Charles W. J. WithersCharles W. J. WithersProfessor Charles W. J. Withers FBA, FRSE is professor of historical geography at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.- Education :...
(born 1954), Scottish historical geographer - George WitherGeorge WitherGeorge Wither was an English poet, pamphleteer, and satirist. He was a prolific writer who adopted a deliberate plainness of style; he was several times imprisoned. C. V...
(1588-1667), English poet and satirist
Other sources
- http://books.google.com/books?id=Iz1gAAAAMAAJ&q=Withers+Family+of+the+County+Lancaster,+England,+and+of+Stafford+County,+Virginia+Establishing+the+Ancestry+of+Robert+Edwin+Withers,+III&dq=Withers+Family+of+the+County+Lancaster,+England,+and+of+Stafford+County,+Virginia+Establishing+the+Ancestry+of+Robert+Edwin+Withers,+III&cd=1Withers Family of the County Lancaster, England, and of Stafford County, Virginia Establishing the Ancestry of Robert Edwin Withers, III] Presented by Mr. Robert Edwin Withers, Sr. of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1947). Virginia Historical Magazine review (1948).
- Berry's Hampshire County Genealogy
- Bigg-Wither, Reginald Fitz Hugh, Materials for a History of the Wither Family, WinchesterWinchesterWinchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
: Warren & Son, 1907.
- Gatewood, Virginia Pierce and Robert L., A Withers-Downey Genealogy: A Withers History With Allied Lines, Conway, ARConway, ArkansasConway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
: 1966.
- Recum, Franz V., Withers -- America or A Collection of Genealogical Data Concerning the History of the Descendants in the Male Line of James Withers (1680/1-1746) of Stafford County, Virginia, New York: 1949.