Some readers may not realize that there was more than one Wingfield family in England. Indeed, some of our members may well discover links with the Derbyshire Wingfields. Here are a few brief details on this second family, taken from Jocelyn Wingfield’s Links and Registrations (around 150 pages each), both of which are still available from the Wingfield Store. Wingfield – Locations in Derbyshire: WINNEFELT (Wien=meadow; feld=field). 7 miles NE of Matlock. Later WYNEFELD or Wynnefeld or Winnefelt, then North Wingfield (village with church). WINEFELD. 5 miles SE of Matlock. Later often SUTWYNNEFELDE, then South Wingfield; & Wingfield Park, 2 miles to the south. (Wingfield Castle/Manor/Hall here was not connected with the Win(g)field family).
The arms of “Wingfield of Derbyshire” are recorded as: Vert on a bent three crosses flory (adorned with lilies of the valley). [BL Add. MS 6667 p.605; Links #7, third paragraph]. And see what is in effect “Wingfield of Nottinghamshire” arms below. Wingfield (“quartered by Rolston Watnoll, Notts [Rollestone of Watnall Chaworth, just NW of Nottingham -] through Bingham”) were 11614 Vis. Notts, q in General Armoury Book, 18841: “Vert on a bend argent three crosses patoncee sable”.
These are in the same “format” as the Suffolk Wingfields’ arms (“Azure on a bend, three wings conjoined in lure of the field”), which fact normally meant that both lots of them came from a common stem. Perhaps it means that the Wingfields of Derbyshire/Notts. that are actually referred to stemmed from the Suffolk Wingfields, but does not mean that all the Derbyshire Wingfields stemmed from the Suffolk Wingfields. The relevant manuscript does not reveal any more clues. [BEND= diagonal stripe; FLORY= adorned with lilies of the valley]; VERT+ green].
Spelling did not really settle down completely until about the nineteenth century, when Dr. Johnson produced his dictionary. The registrations of the two (or even three) tribes of Wingfields, who came from Suffolk and Derbyshire, show that they spelt the name in some 140 different ways! (These are listed in REGISTRATIONS on page viii). The Suffolk Wingfields normally spelt the name W—NG-F—LD- or W-N(C)KF—LDor W-NK-F—LD-, the vowels being arranged in myriad ways. The Derbyshire Wingfields usually spelt the name W-NF—LD-, but also often as for the three examples given for the Suffolk tribe.
The two Wingfield Tribes and their migration.The Derbyshire family also appear to have often spelt the name when in Cumberland, Lancashire, Durham and Northumberland as Wh-nf-ll(d), but usually Whinfell. They conceivably started this spelling “after” Whinfell Beacon (peak), Whinfell Forest and Whinfell Common – all in Cumberland – as they slowly (apparently) migrated across Cumberland to the counties named and to Scotland. There is also a disused “Whinfell Mine” (iron), five miles southwest of Ulverston, Cumberland, eight miles south of Bridge End. It is of course possible that the majority of Whinfells are a third family, who actually took their name originally from geographical features called Whinfell, but it seems unlikely that a family derived its name thus and not from a manor.
The Derbyshire Family also seems to have migrated, south to Devon and Cornwall and east across Yorks, Notts & Leics to Lincs. Overseas migration, especially from Lincs, would appear likely – not least because this was such a large tribe and in an “Emigration Area”, but this awaits proof by the Wingfield Family Society.
The Suffolk/Norfolk tribe appear to have migrated north to Yorks, Lincs, Leics, south to Essex and London and west to Cambs, Hunts, Northants and Ireland. They also emigrated to the West Indies, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa.
It will be seen that in the British Isles the two families were geographically mixed, although not necessarily intermarried.
Lots more details are to be found, including family trees, dotted about in Links (especially #7, seven pages) and Registrations.
