Contents [hide]

Oldfield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Oldfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Oldfield family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Oldfield, Cheshire. This is a topographical name whose derivation is just as it looks. The original bearer of the name Oldfield would have been distinguished by residence near to an old field. Individual cases of the name may also spring from residence in a place which bears the name Oldfield for the same reasons as above. 1

Early Origins of the Oldfield family

The surname Oldfield was first found in Cheshire where "Guy de Provence, who came to this country [England] in the suite of Eleanor, on her marriage to King Henry III in 1236, married Alice, sister of Sir Patrick de Hartwell, and with her obtained the manor and lands of Oldfield, co. Chester. Their grandson, Richard, was the first who assumed the name De Oldfield." 2 Today, the hamlet of Oldfield is part of Gayton, a village in Wirral, Merseyside.

Early rolls give us a glimpse at the many spellings in use over the years: Helyas de Aldeacris was listed as holding lands in Yorkshire in 1231; Agnes de Aldefeld was listed in Suffolk in 1221; Robert de la Aldfeld in Cambridgeshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279; and Adam del Oldfeld in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. 3

Early History of the Oldfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oldfield research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1236, 1552, 1581, 1585, 1595, 1614, 1623, 1624, 1627, 1644, 1645, 1649, 1651, 1656, 1664, 1682, 1683, 1687, 1692, 1699, 1729, 1730, 1767, 1796 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Oldfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oldfield Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Oldfield were recorded, including Oldfield, Oldefield, Oldfeild and others.

Early Notables of the Oldfield family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Robert de Oldefelde of Oldfield

Oldfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Oldfield is the 10,719^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Oldfield migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Oldfield arrived in North America very early:

Oldfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Oldfield, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 5
John Oldfield, who arrived in Maryland in 1684

Oldfield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eleanor Oldfield, who settled in Maryland in 1730

Oldfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John J C Oldfield, aged 24, who landed in Maryland in 1812 5
Ellen Oldfield, aged 40, who landed in New York in 1862 5
William Oldfield, aged 51, who landed in New York in 1868 5
Rhodes Oldfield, who settled in Philadelphia in 1871
Christopher Bevan Oldfield, who arrived in Iowa in 1886 5

Oldfield migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Oldfield Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Oldfield, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1834

Oldfield migration to Australia +

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

Oldfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Oldfield, British convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Josiah Oldfield, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Posthumous" in 1849 7
Henry Oldfield, aged 34, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 8
Joseph Oldfield, aged 28, a stonemason, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Marion" 9
Anthony Oldfield, aged 33, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Nashwauk" 10

Oldfield 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:

Oldfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

W. Oldfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Donna Anita" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 14th June 1863 11
Mr. A. Oldfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th April 1863 11
Mr. G. Oldfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th April 1863 11
Mr. T. Oldfield, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th April 1863 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Oldfield (post 1700) +

Fred Vernon Oldfield (1918-2017), American cowboy and western artist
Major-General Homer Ray Oldfield (1887-1974), American Commanding General Anti-Aircraft Training Center, Camp Haan, California (1943) 12
William Allan Oldfield (1874-1928), American politician, U.S. Representative from Arkansas
Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (1878-1946), American motor-racing driver
William Allan Oldfield (1874-1928), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Arkansas 2nd District, 1909-28; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1928 13
William Oldfield, American politician, Mayor of Portsmouth, Ohio, 1852-53 13
Thomas W. Oldfield, American politician, U.S. Consul in Lyon, 1836-39 13
Richard Oldfield, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate 14th District, 1854-55 13
Reuben B. Oldfield, American Republican politician, Pharmacist; Member of New York State Assembly from Steuben County 1st District, 1915-16 13
Pearl Peden Oldfield (1876-1962), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Arkansas 2nd District, 1929-31 13
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Oldfield family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. John B Oldfield, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 14

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Rueben W. "Rube" Oldfield, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

The Oldfield 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: In cruce vincam
Motto Translation: I shall conquer in the cross.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The POSTHUMOUS 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Posthumous.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 20 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SHACKAMAXON 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/shackamaxon1853.shtml
South Australian Register Tuesday 12th December 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Marion 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marion1854.shtml
South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Nashwauk 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Homer Oldfield. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Oldfield/Homer_Ray/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html