Show ContentsCadwude History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Brythonic in origin, the name of Cadwude came from the rugged landscape of Wales. The name is from the Welsh personal name Cadwaladyr. In Old Welsh, this name was Catguallon. Both Cornish and Breton, which along with Welsh, make up the family of Brythonic Celtic languages have cognate forms of this name; the Cornish form is Caduualant, and the Old Breton form is Catuualon.

Early Origins of the Cadwude family

The surname Cadwude was first found in Harlech, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. According to legend, this ancient family is descended from Cadwaladr (d. circa 664) Welsh King of Gwynedd, leader of the Celtic resistance against the Anglo-Saxons. Later accounts have made him a national hero, a Saint, and called him the last of the Kings of Briton. 1

Cadwaladr (d. 1173), the son of Gruffudd, the son of Cynan, "was the son and the brother of the two most famous north Welsh princes of their time. During his father's lifetime he accompanied his elder brother, Owain, on many predatory excursions against rival princes. In 1121 they ravaged Meirionydd, and apparently conquered it. In 1135 and 1136 they led three successful expeditions to Ceredigion, and managed to get possession of at least the northern portion of that district. " 1

Early History of the Cadwude family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cadwude research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1568, 1590, 1610, 1666 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Cadwude History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cadwude Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Cadwude has occasionally been spelled Cadwallader, Cadwelleder, Kadwalleder, Cadwinder and many more.

Early Notables of the Cadwude family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Casail Cadwaladr (fl. 1590), a Welsh poet, who flourished in the latter part of the sixteenth century. 1 Roger Cadwallador (1568-1610), was an English divine, a native of Stretton Sugwas, Herefordshire. " At length, on Easter day, 1610, he was apprehended and taken before Dr. Robert Bennet, bishop of...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cadwude Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cadwude family

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Cadwude Humphrey Cadwellader who settled in Virginia in 1641; John Cadwalader settled with his wife in Philadelphia in 1820; C. Cadwalader arrived in San Francisco in 1852..



  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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