Cherleswude History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Cherleswude family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found 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 Cherleswude family

The surname Cherleswude 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 Cherleswude family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cherleswude 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 Cherleswude History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cherleswude Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Cherleswude include Charlwood, Cherleswode, Charlewood, Charlwode, Charlwoode and many more.

Early Notables of the Cherleswude 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 Cherleswude Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cherleswude family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cherleswude or a variant listed above: 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