Contents [hide]

Fielding History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Fielding History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Fielding family

The surname Fielding was first found in Cheshire, where the name is derived from the Old English word, "felding" meaning "a dweller in an open place." "The princely extraction of this noble family from the counts of Hapsburg in Germany is well known; its ancestor, Galfridus, or Geffrey, came into England in the twelfth year of the reign of Henry III., and received large possessions from that monarch." 1

A document dated 9 Edward II., states: "Filius Galfridi filii Galfridi, comitis de Hapsburg et domini in Laufenburg et RinFILDING in Germania." 2 In other words, the name is derived from RinFelden or RinFilding in Germany where they held patrimonial possessions of the house of Hapsburg. John Fildying held Newham in Warwickshire in the twelfth of Henry VI., inherited by his mother Joan, daughter and heir of William Prudhome.

In Cheshire, Ralph Fielding settled on the banks of the River Dee in 1279. In Warwickshire, some of the family were found in the parish of Willey. "This place was anciently called Wilega. In the reign of Elizabeth the manor was possessed by the families of Winter and Leigh, and was afterwards sold among various persons; it subsequently became the property of the noble family of Fielding." 3

And in the hamlet of Barnacle, Warwickshire another branch of the family was established. "In the time of Elizabeth the manor [of Barnacle] was granted to Michael Fielding, from whom it descended to Basil Fielding, Earl of Denbigh." 3

Early History of the Fielding family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fielding research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1327, 1379, 1587, 1608, 1640, 1643, 1650, 1668, 1675, 1680, 1681, 1685, 1703, 1706, 1707, 1711, 1712, 1715, 1717, 1721, 1754 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Fielding History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fielding Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fielding, Fielden, Fieldine, Feilding and others.

Early Notables of the Fielding family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh (c.1587-1643), an English naval officer and courtier; Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh (c.1608-1675); William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh, 2nd Earl of Desmon...
On the infamous side, Robert Fielding (1650-1712), nicknamed "Beau Feilding" and "Handsom Fielding," was an English bigamist and heartless womanizer at the royal court of King Charles II. 4

Fielding Ranking

In the United States, the name Fielding is the 5,876^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Fielding is ranked the 930^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,419 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Fielding family to Ireland

Some of the Fielding family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fielding migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fielding Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ambrose Fielding from Northumberland settled in Virginia in 1667
Ambrose Fielding, who arrived in Virginia in 1675 7

Fielding Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Roseamond Fielding, who landed in Virginia in 1725 7
Robert Fielding, who arrived in America in 1760 7

Fielding Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Fielding, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 7
Michael Fielding, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 7
Richard Fielding, who arrived in Mississippi in 1844 7
J Fielding, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Mary A Fielding, aged 11, who arrived in New York in 1864 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fielding migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fielding Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Henry Fielding, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
Arnistead Fielding and his wife purchased land in Nova Scotia in 1774 and settled there with their six children
Amistead Fielding, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
Armstead Fielding, aged 42, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1774
Easter Fielding, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fielding migration to Australia +

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

Fielding Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Fielding, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Fielding, (b. 1762), aged 57, English weaver who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years for uttering forged notes, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Thomas Fielding, English convict from Leicester, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. John Fielding, (b. 1819), aged 21, British Weaver who was convicted in York, England for 15 years for robbery with violence, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1840 11
Thomas Fielding, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fielding migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Fielding Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Daniel Fielding a butcher, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Romulus" in 1862
Mrs. Mary Fielding, (b. 1843), aged 20, British domestic servant travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 13
John Fielding, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1863 14
Mary Fielding, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1863 14
Alfred Fielding a painter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fielding migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15

Fielding Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Robert Fielding, who settled in Jamaica in 1762

Contemporary Notables of the name Fielding (post 1700) +

Jerry Fielding (1922-1980), born Joshua Itzhak Feldman, an American three-time Academy Award nominated radio, record, film and television composer
Herbert Ulysses Gaillard Fielding (1923-2015), American politician who became the first African-American elected as a Democrat to the South Carolina General Assembly
Roy Fielding (b. 1965), one of the principal authors of the HTTP specification
Mary Fielding Smith Kimball (1801-1852), English early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, the second wife of Hyrum Smith
Joseph Fielding (1797-1863), English early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, brother of Mary Fielding
Anthony Vandyke Copley Fielding (1787-1855), English painter, famous for his watercolour landscapes
Fenella Fielding (b. 1927), born Fenella M. Feldman, English actress, popular in the 1950s and 1960s
Henry Barron Fielding (1805-1851), English botanist
Arthur Ross Fielding (1880-1947), English footballer who played 120 matches from 1901 through 1909
Francis David "Frank" Fielding (b. 1988), English footballer from Blackburn Lancashire
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Fielding family +

SS Caribou

Mrs. Zoe Fielding, British passenger from Toronto, Ontario was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, she survived the sinking
Mr. Alfred R. Fielding, British passenger who was Royal Artillery Gunner from Toronto, Ontario was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking

The Fielding Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Crescit sub pondere virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue thrives under oppression.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1840
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies