Wyche History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Wyche family

The surname Wyche was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Westcott. Cornwall was a land set apart, a land of mystique and quaint customs, more strongly related to Brittany and Wales than to England. It was not until the 10th century that they submitted to the Saxon rule of England. Since then, their influence has moved east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Richard of Chichester (1197-1253), also known as Richard de Wych, Bishop of Chichester (1244-1253) is a saint who was canonized in 1262. A shrine was built in Chichester Cathedral dedicated to Richard and had become a centre of pilgrimage. In 1538, during the reign of Henry VIII, the shrine was plundered and destroyed by order of Thomas Cromwell. St Richard of Chichester is patron saint of Sussex since 2007, his translated saint's day of 16 June is celebrated as Sussex Day.

Wych Street was a street in London, that ran west from the church of St Clement Danes on the Strand to a point towards the southern end of Drury Lane. It was demolished by the London County Council in around 1901 as part of the redevelopment that created the Kingsway and Aldwych.

Early History of the Wyche family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wyche research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1384, 1385, 1386, 1390, 1393, 1554, 1593, 1607, 1621, 1628, 1632, 1643, 1659, 1661, 1676, 1678, 1681, 1682, 1685, 1689, 1692, 1693, 1695, 1699, 1702, 1705, 1707 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Wyche History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wyche Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Wyche were recorded, including Wadge, Watch, Wage, Wych, Wich and others.

Early Notables of the Wyche family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Sir Cyril Wyche PRS (1632-c.1707), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Callington (1661-1678), for East Grinstead (1681-1685), for Saltash (1685-1689)
Sir Cyril Wyche, 1st Baronet (c.1695-1756), Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Russia
Richard Wyche (1554-1621), director of the English East India Company
Peter Wyche (1593-1643), English Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
Peter Wyche (1628-1699), English Ambassador to Russia and Poland
Nathaniel Wyche (1607-1659), President of the English East India Company

Wyche Ranking

In the United States, the name Wyche is the 5,426^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Wyche migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Wyche arrived in North America very early:

Wyche Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Wyche, who was naturalized in New York in 1794

Contemporary Notables of the name Wyche (post 1700) +

Zelma Charles Wyche (1918-1999), American civil rights activist, Police Chief of Tallulah, Louisiana (1969-1978)
James Wyche (b. 1982), American football defensive end who played from 2006 to 2010
Major General Larry D. Wyche, American Commanding General, Combined Arms Support Command
Charles Cecil Wyche (1885-1966), United States federal judge
Samuel David "Sam" Wyche (b. 1945), former American football player and head coach, former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl XXIII
Monty Meares Wyche (1926-2014), American jurist, Division A Judge of the Louisiana 26th Judicial District Court for Bossier and Webster parishes (1969-1988)
Cyril Thomas "Tommy" Wyche (1926-2015), American lawyer, conservationist, and a leader in the transformation of downtown Greenville, South Carolina
Zelma Wyche, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Louisiana, 1972 2
James Wyche, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Granville County, 1828-31, 1833; Member of North Carolina State Senate from Granville County, 1834-35 2
Charles C. Wyche, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of South Carolina, 1933-37 2
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html