Coverdal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Coverdal is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in Coverdale, a dale in the far east of the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire. 1

While the lion's share of sources note the Yorkshire origin of the family, two sources disagree. One source says "perhaps from Cuerdale, a township in Lancashire" 2 and another notes "from Cuerdale; a location name in Lancashire (?)" 3

Pursuing this line of thought for a moment we find that Cuerdale is a "township, in the parish, and Lower division of the hundred, of Blackburn, union of Preston, N. division of the county of Lancaster. This place belonged to a family of the same name from the earliest times. About the reign of Richard II. it passed by marriage to the Molyneuxs, and since 1582 it has been the property of the Asshetons, of Downham, who formerly resided at Cuerdale Hall, a fine building of red brick with stone dressings, erected in a beautiful situation by William Assheton, in 1700. " 4

Early Origins of the Coverdal family

The surname Coverdal was first found in Lincolnshire, where Reginald de Coverdall was first listed in the Feet of Fines in 1245. More than fifty years later, Thomas de Coverdale was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297 and one hundred years later, John Couerdale was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5 William Coverdale of Neweby, was listed in the Patent Rolls of Yorkshire in 1408. 6

Early History of the Coverdal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coverdal research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1245, 1297, 1379, 1488, 1529, 1535, 1551, 1553, 1568, 1625 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Coverdal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coverdal Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Coverdal are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Coverdal include: Coverdale, Coverdill, Coverdall, Couerdale and others.

Early Notables of the Coverdal family

Distinguished members of the family include

Miles Coverdale (1488-1568), who published his own translation of the Bible in 1535 and was Bishop of Exeter (1551-1553) but lost this position with the accession of Queen Mary. "Whitaker assumes the...

Migration of the Coverdal family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Coverdal or a variant listed above: Thomas Coverdale who arrived in Maryland in 1669.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)