Show ContentsRadwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Radwell family

The surname Radwell was first found in Hertfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1] indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Radwall held by Adam, a Norman noble, who was under tenant of the Bishop of Bayeux and who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Radwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Radwell research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1185 is included under the topic Early Radwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Radwell Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Radwell are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Radwell include Radwell, Raddell, Raddle, Reddall, Reddall, Radwele and many more.

Early Notables of the Radwell family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • the Radwell of Hertford


United States Radwell migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Radwell, or a variant listed above:

Radwell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johanna Radwell, who settled in America in 1720
  • Thomas Radwell, who arrived in America in 1731
  • Robert Radwell, who settled in America in 1747
  • Bernard Radwell, who settled in America in 1766

Canada Radwell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Radwell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Alfred Radwell, who arrived in Ontario in 1871

West Indies Radwell 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. [2]
Radwell Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • William Radwell, who settled in Jamaica in 1735


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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