Charlwoood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Charlwoood comes from the family having resided in the village and parish of Charlwood on the border of Sussex and Surrey which dates back to at least the 12th century when it was first listed as Cherlewde. Literally the place name means "wood of the freeman or peasants," from the Old English words "ceorl" + "wudu." 1

Early Origins of the Charlwoood family

The surname Charlwoood was first found in West Sussex, where Charlwood House is an early 17th-century timber-framed country house in Lowfield Heath, Crawley. "This place was the scene of a sanguinary battle between the Danes and the men of Surrey and Sussex, that occurred near a bridge since called Kilman Bridge, and in which the Danes were defeated with great slaughter." 2 Today Charlwood is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, but is on the historic county boundary between Surrey and Sussex.

Early History of the Charlwoood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Charlwoood research. Another 207 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1500, 1591, 1592, 1688, 1779 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Charlwoood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Charlwoood Spelling Variations

Charlwoood has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Charlwood, Cherleswode, Charlewood, Charlwode, Charlwoode and many more.

Early Notables of the Charlwoood family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Charlwood, (d. 1592) a prominent printer during the 1500s. He 'seems to have printed so early as Queen Mary's reign, in a temporary partnership with John Tysdale at the Saracen's Head, near Holbourn Conduit.' 3 "Charlewood apparently came from Surrey, as on...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Charlwoood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Charlwoood family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Charlwooods to arrive on North American shores: Richard Charlwood who arrived in Virginia in 1658.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print