Watts Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Watts Family History

Watts Family History

The Watts ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives. Watts is a baptismal name meaning 'son of Walter', a very old Norman personal name popular in the thirteenth century not long after the invasion. Variants include Watte, Watt, Watson and Wattson. This name is of Anglo-Saxon descent spreading to the Celtic countries of Ireland, Scotland and Wales in early times and is found in many mediaeval manuscripts throughout these countries. Examples of such are a William Watts, County Oxfordshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', England, in the year 1273. A Johannes Watson was recorded in the 'Poll Tax' of the West Riding of Yorkshire, in the year 1379. A John Wattessone was recorded in the 'Close Rolls', in the reign of Edward III and a Thomas Chamberlaine and Jane Watts were married in Saint Mary, Aldermary, in the year 1598. A Walter Wat held land in Brechin, Scotland, in the year 1586.

In Ireland this name and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers who arrived from England and Scotland, especially during the seventeenth century. During the 'Plantations of Ireland' in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Ireland was colonized by the English Crown with this period marking the end of Gaelic supremacy in Ireland. This period brought an influx of settlers into the country but, unlike the earlier Anglo-Norman invasion of the twelfth century that resulted in a full integration into Irish society of the new arrivals, the same never occurred with the Ulster Planters who maintained their own distinct identity.

The Watts family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Watts descendants.