Show ContentsAlderwick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Alderwick Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Alderwick

What does the name Alderwick mean?

The name Alderwick is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was originally a name for someone who worked as a the Old English personal name Aldrich, meaning old ruler, and refers to "a son of Aldrich." 1

Another source has a different approach to the origin of the name. "These surnames may be local in origin, but usually derive from Old English Ælfric 'elf-ruler' or Æðelric 'noble ruler'. Both survived the Conquest, by which time the first element had often been reduced to Al- or El- and consequently cannot be distinguished. A common post-Conquest form of Æðelric was Ailric or Eilric." 2

Early Origins of the Alderwick family

The surname Alderwick was first found in the counties of Sussex, Suffolk, and Surrey, where the Alderwick family held a family seat from very early times. The family had the Saxon spellings of Alderich, Ealdric, or possibly Aelfric before the Conquest. The Alderwick variant may have originated in West Sussex, near to Bognor Regis, in Aldwick.

Aldridge is a town in Staffordshire (now the West Midlands) that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Alrewic and literally means "dwelling or farm among alders" having derived from the Old English word alor + wic. 3

The parish was originally in the union of Walsall, in the hundred of Offlow, comprised 7,752 acres and was anciently held by Robert, a tenant of William fitzAnsculf and was worth 15 shillings. 4 In Somerset, William Ailrich was listed there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) 5

In London, the Calendarium Rotulorum Patentium in Turri Londinensi (1201-1483) lists John filius Aldrech. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include John Aldrich in Cambridgeshire and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include a listing for Robertus Aldrech. 1 John Aldryche was Bailiff of Yarmouth in 1469. 6

Early History of the Alderwick family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alderwick research. Another 34 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1507, 1511, 1515, 1566, 1647, 1681, 1687, 1688, 1689 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Alderwick History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alderwick Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Alderwick are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Alderwick include Aldridge, Aldrich, Alderich, Alderidge, Eldrich, Elderidge, Elderich and many more.

Early Notables of the Alderwick family

  • Joan Alderwick, daughter of William Alderwick of Aldridge, Staffordshire, married William Brokesby or Brooksby of Shoby, Leicestershire and had issue

Migration of the Alderwick family to Ireland

Some of the Alderwick family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Alderwick family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Alderwick or a variant listed above: George Aldrich who settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1639; Henry Aldrich, who came to Dedham in 1645; George Aldrich, who arrived in Swansea in 1659.

Contemporary Notables of the name Alderwick (post 1700) +

  • Ernest Ewart Gladstone Alderwick (1886-1917), English cricketer, born in Bristol, who played as a right-handed batsman for Gloucestershire in 1908; he was killed in the First World War at Peronne on the Somme
  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print

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