Withers

Withers
Recorded as Withar, Wither, and the patronymic Withers, this interesting surname of English origins, has two possible sources. The first is from the Old Norse male personal name "Vitharr", or the Old Danish form "Withar". These names are composed of the elements vith or with, meaning wide, with arr, a messenger. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the personal name as Wither in Norfolk, and as Wider in Lincolnshire, and one Richerus filius Wither is recorded in Norfolk in 1153. The first recording of the modern surname (see below) is from this source. The second possible origin of the surname is from an Anglo-Saxon topographical name for someone who lived near a willow tree. This derived from the Olde English pre 7th Century "withe", meaning willow. The first recording of the name from this source is contained in the Sussex Subsidy Rolls of 1327, with John Wythiar. The plural form of the name, Withers, is either the patronymic (son of Wither), or the genitive form, "of the willow tree". The marriage of John Withers and Annie Newton was recorded in London on September 13th 1584. A Coat of Arms granted to a family of the name from Norfolk has the blazon of a red chevron between three black crescents on a silver shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Wither, which was dated circa 1160, in "Charters Relating to the Gilbertine Houses", London, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Withers — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alexander Scott Withers, Historiker der frühen Appalachian Indian White Warfare Bill Withers (* 1938), amerikanischer Sänger und Songschreiber Charles W. J. Withers, schottischer historischer Geograph… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Withers & Co. — Withers (1907) Die Withers Co. Ltd. war ein britischer Automobilhersteller, der von 1906 bis 1915 in der Edgeware Road im Norden Londons ansässig war. Die Withers waren Oberklasse Automobile mit Vierzylinder Reihenmotoren. Die Hubräume lagen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Withers — With ers, n. pl. [Properly, the parts which resist the pull or strain in drawing a load; fr. OE. wither resistance, AS. wi[eth]re, fr. wi[eth]er against; akin to G. widerrist withers. See {With}, prep.] The ridge between the shoulder bones of a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • withers — 1570s, probably from a dialectal survival of O.E. wiðer against, contrary, opposite (see WITH (Cf. with)) + plural suffix. Possibly so called because the withers are the parts of the animal that oppose the load. Cf. Ger. Widerrist withers, from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • withers — ► PLURAL NOUN ▪ the highest part of a horse s back, lying at the base of the neck above the shoulders. ORIGIN apparently from obsolete widersome, from wither «against» (as the part that resists the strain of the collar) …   English terms dictionary

  • withers — [with′ərz] pl.n. [< ME wither, resistance (prob. in sense “that which the horse opposes to his load”) < OE withre, resistance < wither, against: see WITH] the highest part of the back of a horse or similar animal, located between the… …   English World dictionary

  • Withers — Wither redirects here. For the comic character, see Wither (comics). : For the family name, see Withers (surname). The withers is the highest point on the back of a non upright animal, on the ridge between its shoulder blades. HorsesThe withers… …   Wikipedia

  • Withers — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Withers est un nom de famille notamment porté par : Jane Withers (born 1926), American radio, television and movie actress Bill Withers (born 1938),… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • withers — noun plural Etymology: probably from obsolete English wither against, from Middle English, from Old English, from wither against; from the withers being the parts which resist the pull in drawing a load more at with Date: 1580 1. the ridge… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • withers — /widh euhrz/, n. (used with a pl. v.) 1. the highest part of the back at the base of the neck of a horse, cow, sheep, etc. See diag. under dog, horse. 2. wring one s withers, to cause one anxiety or trouble: The long involved lawsuit is wringing… …   Universalium

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