Brudenell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Brudenell family

The surname Brudenell was first found in Northamptonshire at Deene, parish, in the union of Oundle, hundred of Corby. "The church [of Deene] contains portions of the early and decorated English styles, and has windows exhibiting some superior tracery, and several ancient monuments to the Brudenell family." 1

The family was likely descended from Alençon, Normandy and one of the first records was that of Hugo de Bretinolles, temp. Henry I., who held a knight's fee in Berkshire in 1165. "The change of the name from Bretignolles to Bredenell, Bredenhill, and Brudenel, appears from various records." 2

"Amongst the old Leicestershire names now rare in the county is that of Brudenell. The Brudenells were a very distinguished family in the 16th and 17th centuries, and from them sprang the noble house of Cardigan." 3

Early History of the Brudenell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brudenell research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1102, 1136, 1139, 1151, 1193, 1234, 1391, 1429, 1455, 1461, 1487, 1510, 1520, 1530, 1531, 1532, 1533, 1547, 1593, 1600, 1607, 1663, 1692, 1703 and 1732 are included under the topic Early Brudenell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brudenell Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Brudenell, Brudnell, Brudenall, Brudnall, Brudenhall, Brewdenell, Brewdenall, Brewdnell, Broodnel, Brudnel, Brudnal, Broodnell, Broodnall, Bruddenell, Bruddenall, Birkenell, Brykenell, Brykenell and many more.

Early Notables of the Brudenell family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Thomas Brudenell, High Sheriff of Rutland; Sir Robert Brudenell KS (1461-1531), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas (1520-1530.) He was descended from William Brudenell, who was settled at Dodington...
Thomas Brudenell, (c. 1593-1663) was 1st Earl of Cardigan; Robert Brudenell, 2nd Earl of Cardigan,_Ceredigion' target='_blank'>Cardigan (1607-1703); and George Brudenell, was 3rd Earl of Cardigan (1692-1732.)

Brudenell migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Brudenell or a variant listed above:

Brudenell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Brudenell, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1639 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Brudenell (post 1700) +

James Thomas Brudenell (1797-1868), 7th Earl of Cardigan, English peer, born at Hambledon in Hampshire on 16 Oct. 1797, the only son of Robert, sixth earl of Cardigan 5
Edwina Victoria Louise Brudenell (b. 1961), née Hicks, English aristocrat and model
James Brudenell (1715-1811), 5th Earl of Cardigan, English peer and politician, Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury (1754-1761) and for Hastings (1761-1768), for Greatr Bedwyn in 1768 and for Marlborough (1768-1780), Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle (1791-1811)
Robert Brudenell (1760-1837), 6th Earl of Cardigan, English peer and politician, Member of Parliament for Marlborough (1797-1801) and (1801-1802)
George Brudenell (1712-1790), 4th Earl of Cardigan, English peer
Robert Brudenell (1726-1768), British army officer and politician, Member of Parliament for Great Bedwyn (1756-1761) and for Marlborough (1761-1768), Vice Chamberlain to Queen Charlotte (1766-1768)
Jeremy Alexander Rothwell Brudenell (b. 1960), British stage, film and television actor

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019