wozencroft wozencraft wosencroft woolstoncroft woosencraft worsencraft wollstonecraft wolstoncroft worzencraft wollstoncraft wozencroft wozencraft wosencroft woolstoncroft wolstoncraft woolston wolsencroft woosencroft wollstonecraft worzencraft worsencroft wolstencroft WOSENCROFT WOZENCROFT WOOLSTON WOSENCRAFT WOZENCRAFT WOLLSTONECRAFT WOOSENCROFT WOLLSTONCRAFT WOOLSTONCROFT WOLSTONCROFT WOOSENCRAFT WORSENCROFT WOLSENCROFT WORSENCRAFT WOLSTENCROFT WORZENCRAFT WOLLSTONCRAFT WOOLSTON WOOLSTENCROFT WOLSTONCRAFT FAMILY HISTORY INFORMATION requested and supplied
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Likely, probable & possible

ORIGINS OF THE NAMES

 

WOSENCROFT
WOZENCROFT
WOSENCRAFT
WOZENCRAFT
WOOSENCROFT
WOLLSTONCRAFT
WOOLSTONCROFT
WOLSTONCROFT
WOOLSTEN
WOLLSTONECRAFT
WOLSTONCRAFT
WOOSENCRAFT
WORSENCROFT
WOLSENCROFT
WORSENCRAFT
WOLSTENCROFT
WORZENCRAFT
WOOLSTENCROFT
WOOLSTON
WOLLSTONCRAFT
We are very happy to share, completely free of charge, the fruits of our many years' genealogical labours with bona fide Family History researchers for their own private use, but not for use by professional genealogists for commercial purposes or financial gain! In exchange, we welcome information from all authentic sources as well as copies of Family Trees — Tony & John W.
England
ORIGINS OF THE NAMES
Hereford
There has been much speculation and guesswork over the origin of the name and its variations. We have read some very exotic, fanciful and far-fetched hypotheses (as well as some plain and simple albeit innocent or ignorant fibs!), many of which seem to place great significance on the Z in the name when in fact the Z hardly existed at all in the 1600s and 1700s, the variations on the name invariably being spelt with an S or even SS, rather than a Z. As with so many things, the most simple explanation is the most likely !

We have been researching the Woolstoncroft, Woossencroft, Wozencroft / craft and related genealogies for over 30 years. We have concentrated primarily on documentary evidence, rather than hearsay or speculation. We estimate that we have gathered over 150 person-years of genealogical research information about the Ws and related families.

We believe the origin of the name to be very simple: it is a fact that in the UK many surnames are derived either from their parents, their occupation or where a person lived. For example, John the baker became John Baker; similarly Bill the stone-mason became Bill Mason. Also, John who lived at Preston was John of Preston and became John Preston, and so on !

And we owe special thanks to Rex Woolstencroft for pointing-out the actual location of Woolstencroft Farm, due east of Lymm, and close to Dunham Woodhouse. [Thanks, Rex !]
Lancs
Clwyd  
Warrington & Woolston Croft, UK
Close to Warrington on the Lancashire / Cheshire border in the UK, not very far from Manchester, lie the farms & villages of Risley, Croft, Martins (?farm) and, most significantly, Woolston (perhaps Wulfige's Tun originally).

The areas of high ground above these villages were and still are known as CROFTs, while the surrounding areas of low-lying, marshy ground in the valley of the River Mersey are called the MOSSes.

Even today we still have the following place-names in that area:- Martinscroft, Woolston, Woolston Moss, Croft, Risley, and Risley Moss. [ You can read much more about Woolston on the separate Woolston page via our Main Menu]

And we owe special thanks to Rex Woolstencroft for pointing-out the actual location of Woolstencroft Farm, due east of Lymm, and close to Dunham Woodhouse. [Thanks, Rex !]
Cheshire
If you are researching the Wolstenholme Genealogy,
please see FORUMS in the Main Menu

Montgomery
So, for example, it is very probable that a sheep-farmer, shepherd or crofter called John who lived and tended his flock on Woolston Croft may well have been known as John of WoolstonCroft or more simply, John Woolstoncroft.

Many early records of the Woolstoncrofts and Wosencrofts contain links to the Manchester area. For example, Mary Wollstonecraft's family came from the southern outskirts of Manchester. We think that it is very likely, based on the vast amount of documentary evidence that we have collected over many years, that all these variations of the W name have a common or very similar origin i.e. from WoolstonCroft near Warrington in England.

And we owe special thanks to Rex Woolstencroft for pointing-out the actual location of Woolstencroft Farm, due east of Lymm, and close to Dunham Woodhouse. [Thanks, Rex !]
Wales
 Please note: You may come-across or be contacted by a LEE WOZENCROFT; He is persona non grata as far as we are concerned, and he has no connection whatsoever with this website !
Powys
(Radnor)
Last up-dated

Nov 2004
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