Contents [hide]

Fleetwood 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

Fleetwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Fleetwood name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the county of Lancashire, where they held a family seat at Hesketh and at Little Plumpton with vast territories in that county. The place-name is derived from the Old English words fleot, which means stream and wudu which means wood. 1 In this case the original bearers of the surname lived in the area that was by a stream and near wood - perhaps a woodlot or forest.

Early Origins of the Fleetwood family

The surname Fleetwood was first found in Lancashire at Fleetwood, a town within the Wyre district which has a rather recent history in comparison to many of the villages that date back to the Domesday Book. However, Roman ruins in the area suggest that the location may well have been an ancient sea port.

The manor house was held by the Allen family for centuries but was ultimately sold to Thomas Fleetwood, comptroller of the Royal Mint whose son, Edmund expanded the house into Rossall Hall and these lands have remained in the Fleetwood family for 300 years since that time.

Some of the family were also found at Bispham, again in Lancashire. "This place, which is of great antiquity, is styled in Domesday Survey Biscopham. It was early a possession of the Boteler family; and in the 13th of Elizabeth, the manors of "Litle and Grete" Bispham were held by the Fleetwoods." 2

Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, (1801-1866), born Peter Hesketh, an English landowner, developer and Member of Parliament, founded the town of Fleetwood-on-Wrye "on which the town is built have been for some centuries the property of [his] ancestors." 2

"Irmingland Hall [in Irmingland, Norfolk] formerly belonged to the Fleetwood family, one of whom, General Fleetwood, married the daughter of Oliver Cromwell, who frequently visited this place, and issued many of his ordinances hence; one wing only remains, which is now a farmhouse." 2

The legendary British musician Mick Fleetwood was born in Redruth, Cornwall and is presumed to be from a different branch of the family.

Early History of the Fleetwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fleetwood research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1603, 1610, 1618, 1623, 1641, 1652, 1655, 1656, 1672, 1683, 1692 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Fleetwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fleetwood 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 Fleetwood has undergone many spelling variations, including Fleetwoode, Fleetwood and others.

Early Notables of the Fleetwood family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir William Fleetwood (died after 1610), of Ealing and Cranford, Middlesex
Charles Fleetwood (1618-1692), English Parliamentary General and Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1652 to 1655
Sir George Fleetwood of Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire
Sir George Fleetwood (c.1623-c. 1672), English soldier and regicide, signatory of King Charles I's death warrant, condemned to death at the Restoration but was never executed

Fleetwood Ranking

In the United States, the name Fleetwood is the 6,817^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Fleetwood family to Ireland

Some of the Fleetwood family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fleetwood migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Fleetwood were among those contributors:

Fleetwood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Fleetwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1609 4
David Fleetwood, who landed in Virginia in 1650 4
Mazy Fleetwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 4
Tho Fleetwood, who landed in Virginia in 1664 4
William Fleetwood, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 4

Fleetwood Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Fleetwood, who landed in New York, NY in 1835 4
Baron Gustave Fleetwood, who settled in New York in 1845. He was descended from the Chipping Wycomb branch who fought for King Gustave of Sweden and was elected to the Swedish nobility

Fleetwood migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fleetwood Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Anthony Fleetwood, who arrived in Quebec in 1784

Fleetwood migration to Australia +

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

Fleetwood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Alice Fleetwood, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lucy" in 1850 5
Charles Fleetwood, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lucy" in 1850 5

Fleetwood 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:

Fleetwood Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Caroline Fleetwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 6
Mr. John Fleetwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 6
Mr. M. Fleetwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Wild Duck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th December 1867 6
Mr. J. Fleetwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Wild Duck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th December 1867 6
Mr. C. Fleetwood, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Wild Duck" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th December 1867 6

Fleetwood 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. 7

Fleetwood Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Alexander Fleetwood, (b. 1616), aged 19, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Fleetwood (post 1700) +

Marquel Fleetwood (b. 1970), former American CFL football quarterback who played from 1993 to 1997
Frederick G. Fleetwood (1868-1938), American politician, Member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont (1923-1925)
Christian Fleetwood (1840-1914), American Army officer, recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm during the American Civil War
Mae Fleetwood, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Delaware, 1972 9
John Kenneth Fleetwood, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Seaford, Delaware, 1954-56 (acting, 1954-56) 9
Frederick Gleed Fleetwood (1868-1938), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives, 1900; Presidential Elector for Vermont, 1900; Secretary of State of Vermont, 1902-08, 1917-19 9
Tommy Fleetwood (b. 1991), English professional golfer
Stuart Keith Wakley Fleetwood (b. 1986), English footballer
Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood (1801-1866), English landowner and MP, founder of Fleetwood, Lancashire, England
Michael John Kells "Mick" Fleetwood (b. 1942), British musician best-known for his role as the drummer with the rock and roll band Fleetwood Mac, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Fleetwood family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Ernest Fleetwood (d. 1945), British Able Seaman aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 10

USS Arizona

Mr. Donald Eugene Fleetwood, American Private First Class from Iowa, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 11

The Fleetwood 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: Quod tibi, hoc alteri
Motto Translation: That is for thee, not the other.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LUCY 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Lucy.gif
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/daphne
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html