Gratrix History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Gratrix name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in an area that was referred to as the great ridge. Gratrix is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, or in this case a ridge. 1

Another source postulates that the name was from "Greatorick, from Gayteric, the old form of Catterick, Yorkshire, in which county the name remains common." 2

And two sources claim the name is from Great Rocks; a hamlet, Tideswell, Derbyshire. 3 4 This latter source dives into more detail: "the Derbyshire name of Greatorex is evidently derived from Great Rocks, a hamlet in the parish of Wormhill. Greatrix and Gratrix are now Lancashire forms of the name." 4

And yet another source claims the name is from Greterakes, a place name in the Domesday Book of 1086. 5

Early Origins of the Gratrix family

The surname Gratrix was first found in Essex where Augustine Brandon and Elizabeth Greatracks, of Westham, Essex married in 1382. 6

Early History of the Gratrix family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gratrix research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1628, 1629, 1647, 1659, 1666, 1675, 1683, 1697, 1712 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Gratrix History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gratrix Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Gratrix has undergone many spelling variations, including Gratrix, Greatrix, Greatrex, Great-Rex, Greatorix, Greatorex and many more.

Early Notables of the Gratrix family

Distinguished members of the family include Ralph Greatorex (c.1625-1675), an English mathematical instrument maker and apprentice of London clockmaker Elias Allen, his name appears in Pepys's Diary. His date of death is uncertain as the Dictionary of National Biography claims he died as late as 1712.Valentine Greatrakes (1629-1683), whose name...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gratrix Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gratrix family to Ireland

Some of the Gratrix family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gratrix migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gratrix Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Gratrix, English convict who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 7

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore