Show ContentsCawdell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Scottish name Cawdell was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people of the Scottish/English Borderlands. The original bearer of the name lived in Renfrewshire. This place-name may also be derived from the Old English words caeld, which means cold, and welle, which means well, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a well that gave cold water. 1

Early Origins of the Cawdell family

The surname Cawdell was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, at the Caldwell Tower, a mansion and old estate that dates back to 1294. 2

The current Caldwell Tower stands on a mound, and is a small, free-standing tower that was probably built in the 16th century.

It was fully restored in 2011 with the addition of a small extension. Caldwell is also a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire.

"The old family of the name appears to have ended in the direct line in an heiress in the fifteenth century. In 1342 there is an entry of the fee of William de Caldwell. Robert Cauldwell was a merchant in the service of Sir John of Montgomery, 1405." 3

The Caudle variant may be related to a thickened and sweetened alcoholic hot drink so named. It was popular in the Middle Ages for its supposed medicinal properties and dates back to at least 1297.

Further to the south in the English county of Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes de Coldwell; and Thomas de Coldwele. 4

Early History of the Cawdell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cawdell research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1419, 1495, 1505, 1526, 1533, 1548, 1551, 1554, 1559, 1561, 1572, 1581, 1584, 1596, 1628, 1661, 1679, 1687, 1796, 1890 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Cawdell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cawdell Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Cawdell has been spelled Caldwell, Coldwell, Caldwill, Cauldwell, Cauldwill, Cawldwell, Guildwell, Calewell, Caldewell and many more.

Early Notables of the Cawdell family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Blessed John Fenwick, born John Caldwell (1628-1679), an English Jesuit, executed at the time of the Popish Plot, a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI.Richard Caldwall (1505?-1584), was an English physician, born in Staffordshire about 1505. "He was educated at Brasenose, graduated as B.A. in...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cawdell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Cawdell family to Ireland

Some of the Cawdell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 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 Cawdell family

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them: Archibald Caldwel, a Scottish prisoner sent to America in 1685; John Caldwell, a bonded passenger, who came to America in 1693; Charles Caldwell, who arrived in New England in 1718.


Contemporary Notables of the name Cawdell (post 1700) +

  • James Cawdell (d. 1800), English dramatist, manager and chief comedian of various theatres in the north of England, including those of Scarborough, Sunderland, and Shields 5


The Cawdell 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: Fac et spera
Motto Translation: Do and hope.


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019


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