Chidlo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Chidlo is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the township of Chidlow, which was in the parish of Malpas in Cheshire. The surname Chidlo belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Chidlo family

The surname Chidlo was first found in Devon at Chudleigh, a market-town and parish, in the union of Newton-Abbott, hundred of Exminster, Teignbridge. "This place, anciently called Chidleighe, was the residence of the bishops of Exeter, who had a sumptuous palace, of which there are some small remains." 1 2

"Haldon House, is in [the parish of Exmouth, Devon]. Haldon House was originally built by Sir George Chudleigh, the last Baronet of that family, but the mansion and grounds owe their present aspect to the improvements effected since they were purchased by Sir Robert Palk. " 3

The parish dates back to at least c. 1150 when it was named Ceddelegam, and literally means "clearing of a man called Ciedda," or "clearing in a hollow," from the Old English personal name or Old English word "ceod(e)" + "leah." 4

"Half a mile from the town is Chudleigh Rock, a stupendous mass of limestone, in which is a cavern of considerable extent; and near it are very perfect remains of an elliptical encampment, supposed from its form to be of Danish origin, but, from its proximity to a Roman road, to have been previously occupied by that people." 1

"Ashton, [Devon] was for over four centuries the residence of the Chudleigh family, who lived at Place. The manor was given by the Conqueror to Hervey de Helion, and held at ' Domesday ' by his wife. It came to the Chudleighs about 1320. Sir George Chudleigh, the first Baronet, sided with the Parliament when the Civil War broke out, and took part in the battle of Stratton. Not long after he changed sides, and had his house garrisoned in the Royalist interest. It was taken by a party of Fairfax's army in December, 1645; and Colonel James Chudleigh, Sir George's eldest son, was killed at the storming of Dartmouth in the following month, when Place was a garrison for the Parliament. The Chudleigh baronetcy ended in 1745, when Sir James Chudleigh was killed at the siege of Ostend." 3

Early History of the Chidlo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chidlo research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1578, 1601, 1606, 1612, 1618, 1625, 1628, 1629, 1634, 1643, 1656, 1658, 1691 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Chidlo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chidlo Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Chidlo family name include Chudleigh, Chudley, Chidley, Chiderleigh, Chidelly, Chudley and many more.

Early Notables of the Chidlo family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir George Chudleigh, 1st Baronet (c.1578-1658), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1601 and 1625, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War; Sir John Chudleigh (1606-1634), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629; Major-General James Chudleigh (c.1618 -...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chidlo Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chidlo family to Ireland

Some of the Chidlo family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chidlo family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Chidlo surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Catherine Chidley who settled in Virginia in 1685; John Chidley settled in Virginia in 1737.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)