Edwardes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

The Edwardes surname is derived from the old English word "Eadweard" which means "prosperity guard." 1 Prior to the Norman Conquest of England, Edward was a common personal name; its popularity probably due to the fact that Edward the Confessor (1003-1066) had been the Patron Saint of England before Saint George.

Early Origins of the Edwardes family

The surname Edwardes was first found in Wiltshire where Edward of Salisbury, also known as Edward the Sheriff (of Wiltshire) held land at the time of the Domesday Survey. He was an ancestor of Earls of Salisbury.

The name appeared as Eaduuardus, Eduuardus, Eduuard in the Domesday Book. 2

Kirby's Quest of Somerset listed William Edward in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year's reign of King Edward III.) 3 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Adam Edward; Willelmus Edward, taylour; and Ricardus Edward. 4

Early History of the Edwardes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edwardes research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1219, 1279, 1283, 1471, 1523, 1540, 1547, 1563, 1576, 1582, 1597, 1615, 1637, 1658, 1678, 1711, 1801 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Edwardes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edwardes 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 Edwardes family name include Edwards, Edward, Edwardes and others.

Early Notables of the Edwardes family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard Edwardes, a native of Somersetshire, born in 1523. He was educated under George Etheridge, 'one of the most excellent vocal and instrumental musicians in England' -of whom however nothing more...
William Edwardes (circa 1711-1801), was made the 1st Baron Kensington; William Edward rose to become Lord Mayor of London in 1471; and Sir James Edwards was Lord Mayor of London in 1678

Migration of the Edwardes family to Ireland

Some of the Edwardes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edwardes migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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 Edwardes surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Edwardes Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Edwardes, who settled in New England in 1635
Robert Edwardes, aged 22, who arrived in America in 1635 5
David Edwardes, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1698 5

Edwardes migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 6

Edwardes Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Evan Edwardes, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Contemporary Notables of the name Edwardes (post 1700) +

Sir Herbert Benjamin Edwardes (1819-1868), English soldier
George Edwardes (1852-1915), English theatrical manager
Sir Michael Owens Edwardes (b. 1930), South African/British business executive

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies