The surname Vertigan is relatively rare and research shows that its origin is found in the County of Norfolk, England. The actual spelling of the name has varied over the centuries and records support several variations including Virtigan, Vertegans, Vardigans amongst others.

The map below shows several of the villages in Norfolk where Vertigan families lived.

http://www.yorksgen.info/forums/gra...orfolk_map.jpg

The first known person bearing this name in England was Peter Vertegans who died on 24th March 1633 at Norwich. All persons throughout the world today appear to be descendants of Peter and besides those in Britain other clans extend to USA and Canada and Australia where numerous families are found. Evidence exists that supports the fact that he was not born in England and it is probable he originated somewhere in Western Europe possibly Holland or Belgium.

The transcript of Peter Vertegans will of 1634 is shown below from which several names are mentioned providing vital evidence of his family.

My interest in the Vertigan names is through my grandmother Ellen who married John Frederick Lawson in Leeds in 1900. The photo below shows them on holiday in Bridlington, Yorkshire in 1933.

http://www.yorksgen.info/forums/graphics/ellen.jpg

Whilst the Vertigan surname is relatively rare a branch of the family has taken root in Australia. For those interested in this please also visit http://www.vertigan.com.au/index.html

This page will be extended in due course with more information and records will be made available.

Gerald Lawson February, 2008

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Will of Peter Vertegans 1634

NORWICH CONSISTORY COURT WILLS

Peter Vertegans of Norwich 1634 II Playford

I Peter Vertegans

In the name of God Amen The fower and twentie Day of March Annio Dnio 1633 I Peter Vertegans al Rettengoose of Norwich gardyner Doo make and declare his last will and Testament in mannor and forme following, IMPRIMIS he beqeath his soule into the moste mercifull hands of Almighty God steadfastly trusting by & through the merrits of Christ Jesus, that his soule shall attayne to Everlasting Salvation, And his worldly estate he give and bequeath as followth; That is to say; ITEM he give to Jane his now wife, the some of Three Hundred pounds of good English mony and the use of all his silver plate during her naturall life, to be payd & Delivered unto her by his Excecutors, and also the use & occupation of his houses & grounds in St. Stevens Parrish in Norwich for terme of her naturall life, And also one Chamber full furnished wth two Bedsteds and bedding to them sufficient and all other things fitting for her Use, ITEM he give to Abraham his sonne the some of One hundred pounds to be paied to him when he Come home to the Cittie of Norwth in his owne pson and demarned the same of his Excecutors; and in the meane tyme to remayne in his Excecutors hands; And that if the saied. Abraham doe not come to demaned the same as above saide, then the saide hundred pounds to remayne to his Excecutors equally, ITEM he Constitute & make PETAR, ISACK & DAVID his sonnes his jount & only Executors, And whereas the said Petar and Isack are joyned wth him in certayne leases, he by third consent doth devise that the benifitt of those leases shall be & goe as the residue of his goods and Chattells toward the payment of his legacies & the eaquall pticon of the remayneder thereof amongst his saied Executors, ITEM he doe give to Isake & David his sonnes each of them one hundred pounds he maketh HENRY HOWE & CRISTOPHAR WOLLPALL his sonnes in lawe supeavisors of his his last will and Testamt, ITEM hee doe will and devise that after his Leagacies aforesaid be paide that the remaynder of all his goods and chattells shall be equally devided amongst all his children,
II Playford

by equall division as well sonnes as daughtars, ITEM hee give to all his grandchilldren forty shillings a peece, And to all his godchildren in Norwch tenn shillings a peece; And to the benifitt of the Elders of the Duch Congregation in Norwch the some of three pounds to remayne for a stock to them, and to the benifitt of the Collecktors of the saide Duch Congregation to remayne for a stock the some of five pounds, & to his kinswomen Judith and Ann Vertegans my kinswoman and Mary Rottengoose the some of Forty shillings; And to Samuel Lomby the some of Twentie shillings; ITEM he give to his man John Walden twentie shillings and to all his servants wth shall worke wth him at the time of his decease the some of twelve pence a peece; And to the poore of the pishe of Saint Benidicts in Norwch the some of Ten shillings to be distributed by his Executors


Wittnesses John Manning

& me John Matthew

& Robt Manninge

& Samuell Lomby & his

wife wth others

30th December, 2022

30/12/2022 The US census database has been updated and now contains 48571 names

13/12/2022 The Lawson UK census database has been updated with an additional 700 names and updated 1921 addresses

26/11/2022 The Cheesbrough census, births and marriages databases have been update

12/11/2022 The England & Wales births, deaths and marriages databases have been updated

30/8/2022 The Vertigan census, births and marriages databases have all been updated

The Lawson wills database has been updated with details now to 1960 showing executors and estate values. The deaths database has also been updated to include many more dates and showing wills

The Lawson births database for England & Wales has been updated with new births between 2007-2010. Additional data has also been added

The Lawson worldwide births database has been updated with an additional 450 entries

The Cheesbrough databases have been updated the deaths file is now working.

The Online Database site has moved due to problems with the original site. Please see the link in the Site Navigation Panel for the new URL

A new database listing Lawson soldiers who were killed in action during WWI

A further 911 births have been added to the Scottish births database covering 1840-1854

The Lawson North American database has been extended to add 3000 Canadian arrivals

I now have a database of Lawson names in the 1911 Scottish census. By using the referencing numbers I am able to group families and will be adding details to the UK census database

The Lawson burials database has been extended with an additional 550 entries from Yorkshire

The total number of records in all the databases has now passed HALF A MILLION entries

The Lawson deaths in Scotland has been extended to include entries between 1930-1949

The US census database has received a major update, the total now covering 44,000 Lawson names.

1/6 The Lawson UK wills database has been extended to include an additional 1027 Scottish wills. Full details will be added later

11/5 The Lawson births and marriages databases for England and Wales have been extensively updated with further details including the names of parents and census reference numbers for cross-referencing.

The Lawson Scottish marriages database has been extended with an additional 2818 entries and now covers marriages between 1855-1979

The Cheesbrough & Vertigan on-line databases have now been extended and includes data from the 1939 Register

The Lawson England & Wales deaths database has been updated to include ages 1837-1912 with a few blanks which will be completed soon.

The Cheesbrough births database for England and Wales has been updated to include much more detail especially the names of parents and census reference numbers.

The Lawson US births database has been extended with an additional 2973 Virginia State entries.

The US State census file has been updated showing the numbers of Lawson entries found in individual years.

The US marriage database has been updated with additional 1890 Texas entries and now totals 30,231 records.

479 Tennessee Lawson births have been added to the database.

There is a new item on the Site Navigation Panel containing details of The Lawson Letters issues by the late Mary Alice Lawson. I have added issues from this publication which are available to senior members who have posted details of their Lawson families.

The Lawson Scottish births database has been updated with entries for females covering 1920-1999  with 4,323 additional names.

The Lawson Scottish births database has been updated with entries for males now covering 1855-1999  with 2,420 additional names.

The Lawson Canadian census database has been updated and now contains 4,200 names.

The Lawson burials database has been updated with 353 records from Isle of Man

The Lawson wills database has been extended to include 1027 Scottish entries between 1876 and 1936.

The Miscellaneous baptisms database has been updated with an additional 785 entries from Lancashire.

An additional 511 entries have been added to the Lawson Wills UK database which now covers up to 1945. Additional Irish wills have also been added.

An additional 700 Lawson baptisms and marriages have been added to the on-line searchable databases covering the Isle of Man. These can be located in the UK Baptism and UK Miscellaneous Marriage databases.

The Lawson births database for England and Wales has been updated to include 1837-2006 with over 61,300 entries.

IMPORTANT UPDATE
The searchable on-line database site has changed to a different server. Please refer to the Searchable Database link in the Site Navigation Panel for the new site address.

The Lawson deaths database for England and Wales has been updated and now extends to 2005 with 41,231 entries.

A new database of Lawson deaths in USA has been added with 5,80 entries. This is available only to Senior Members who have posted some details in one of the site Forums.

An additional 3,684 new births have been added to the US database available only to Senior Members who have posted details of their Lawson families.