Origin of the Name Wentworth
The
Wentworth family history was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. Wentworth is a locality name meaning 'of wentworth', from a place found in the West Riding of Yorkshire. This name is usually of English descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in that country. Examples of such are a Willemus Wynteworth and a Johannes Wynteworth who were recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire in the year 1379. A Paul Wentworth of County Buckinghamshire was registered in the University of Oxford in the year 1586.
Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by creating, maintaining and updating these reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.
In Ireland this name was introduced into Ulster Province by settlers from England, especially during the seventeenth century.
The Wentworth coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Wentworth descendants.