Worth, Clark, Dyer, Smith

Genealogy and Information

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Main Line of the Worth Family Tree 1200 - 1700

The surname Worth is, as so many English surnames are, one derived from a place name. The Anglo-Saxon word "weorthig" meant a guarded place, a fenced or enclosed demesne. All the Nordic languages have words akin to it referring to protected or enclosed places and the English words garth, garden, ward and yard are all survivals of old words derived from primitive roots descriptive of their being warded or guarded by wall or fence or in some way kept a place apart.

"Woerthig" survives in place names as "Worth" and as "Worthy"; the former being very general as a termination throughout the country, for instance Ackworth the "weorthig" by the oak or amongst the oaks, Kenilworth the "woerthig" of some old personage named Kenulph, Tamworth the "woerthig" by the river Tame, Wendsworth the "weorthig" by the stream Wendle. "Worthy" appears most often in Southern English place names; in Devonshire are Beaworthy, Cadworthy, Cornworthy, Holsworthy, etc., while in Hampshire is the little group of "Worthies": King's Worthy, Abbot's Worthy, Headborn Worthy and Martyr's Worthy.

It by no means follows that all the Worths and worthies are of Saxon or Angle foundation; the place may have [been] fenced by the earlier peoples but we are sure that its name was given it by one of the Nordic races and we can be equally sure that all the place names so given by the Saxons have not survived, the town we now call Derby was once Northweorthig and owes its present name to the later coming Danes.

by Susan Tilsley

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