Morden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Morden family

The surname Morden was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. "Turvey in Bedfordshire was the principal seat of this noble Norman family, descended from Osbert le Mordaunt, who came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror, and received a grant of the lordship of Radwell in that county." 1 Another reference is more specific: "their patriarch was Sir Osbert le Mordaunt, who possessed Radwell, co. Bedfordshire, by gift of his brother, who had received it from the Conqueror, for services rendered by himself and his father." 2 The parish of Mordon (Morden) in Durham was home to another branch of the family. "This place gave name to a resident family, of whom mention occurs in the 14th century. The name was perhaps originally Moredun, or "the moorish hill," from the elevation of the place above a marsh. " 3

Early History of the Morden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morden research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1505, 1621, 1623, 1626, 1642, 1648, 1649, 1650, 1663, 1675, 1681, 1692, 1695, 1697, 1698, 1701, 1702, 1703, 1705, 1707, 1708, 1710, 1715, 1720 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Morden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morden Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Mordaunt, Mordan, Morden, Mordon, Mordant and others.

Early Notables of the Morden family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

he founded Morden College and Robert Morden (c.1650-1703) was an English bookseller, publisher, and maker of maps and globes

Morden migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Morden, aged 30, who landed in New England in 1634 4
Jane Morden and her husband settled in Boston in 1635
James Morden, who settled in Virginia in 1698

Morden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth Morden and her husband settled in Carolina in 1724
Eliz Shields Morden, who arrived in Carolina in 1724 4

Morden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morden Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Daniel Morden U.E. who settled in Flamborough West [Hamilton], Ontario c. 1784 5
Mr. Douglas Morden U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5
Mr. James Morden U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5
Mr. James Amit Morden U.E. who settled in Sophiasburgh and Ameliasburgh [Prince Edward County], Ontario c. 1784 5
Mr. Joseph Morden U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Morden (post 1700) +

William Morden, American politician, Delegate to Iowa State Constitutional Convention from Jackson County, 1844 6
Grover L. Morden, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 2nd District, 1928 6
Daniel Morden (b. 1964), Welsh two-time Tir na n-Og Award winning storyteller in the oral tradition and a children's writer
Clem Morden (1907-1987), former Australian rules footballer who played from 1928 to 1932
Simon Morden, British Philip K. Dick Award-winning science fiction author, best known for Metrozone series of novels set in post-apocalyptic London
Jessica Elizabeth Morden (b. 1968), British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Newport East (2005-)
Reid Morden, Canadian director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from 1988-1992

The Morden 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: Nec placido contenta quiete est
Motto Translation: Nor is content with quiet repose.

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.
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html