Englefield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Englefield name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in Englefield, a parish in Berkshire, six miles from Reading. "This parish derives its name from the Saxon word Ingle, a fire or beacon light; and probably had its origin about the middle of the ninth century, when the Danes, having made themselves masters of Reading, sent out a detachment from their army to attack the Saxons, who were encamped here, and who drove them back with great loss. " 1

Early Origins of the Englefield family

The surname Englefield was first found in Berkshire, at Englefield, a village and civil parish, best known as the site of The Battle of Englefield on 31 December 870 between the Anglo-Saxons, under Æthelwulf, Ealdorman of Berkshire, and the Danes, which resulted in a resounding victory for the Saxons. Englefield House has been the ancestral home of the Englefield family, since the time of King Edgar, Edgar the Peaceful (943-975.)

"The family continued in possession of the estate when Lambarde wrote, temp. Queen Elizabeth. 'It is at this day part of the possessions of a man of that name, whear-by it may appeare that the place som tyme gyveth name to the parson' (person). The Englefields are said to have been proprietors of the lands in the time of Egbert, some years before he became king of all England." 2

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. William de Englefield was found in the Pipe Rolls for Staffordshire in 1185, Philip de Ingelfeld in Gloucestershire in 1355, and Stephen Ingylfeld was found in registered in 1407. 3

A search of the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 showed: William de Engelfeld, Devon; William de Englefeld, Kent; John de Engelfeld. Oxfordshire; and Thomas de Englefeld, Oxfordshire. 4

Early History of the Englefield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Englefield research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1455, 1514, 1522, 1537, 1551, 1552, 1561, 1596, 1631, 1656, 1665, 1670, 1678, 1728, 1752, 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1784, 1792, 1811, 1812 and 1822 are included under the topic Early Englefield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Englefield Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Englefield were recorded, including Englefield, Englefeld, Englesfield and others.

Early Notables of the Englefield family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir Thomas Englefield (Inglefield) (ca. 1455-1514), probably from Englefield, Berkshire, Speaker of the House of Commons
Sir Francis Englefield, 1st Baronet (c. 1561-1631), of Wootton Basset in the County of Wiltshire
Sir Francis Englefield, 2nd Baronet (d. 1656)
Sir Francis Englefield, 3rd Baronet (d. 1665)
Sir Thomas Englefield, 4th Baronet (d. 1678)

Englefield migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Englefield family emigrate to North America:

Englefield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Englefield who arrived in New York State in 1832

Englefield Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Gertrude Fanny Englefield, aged 36, who settled in America from Carshalton, England, in 1916
Leslie Englefield, aged 16, who settled in America, in 1917
Mary Catherine Englefield, aged 51, who immigrated to the United States from Newcastle on Tyne, England, in 1917
Kathleen E. Englefield, aged 2, who immigrated to the United States from Curragh, Ireland, in 1919
Jesse Englefield, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1923
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Englefield (post 1700) +

Frank Englefield (1878-1945), English professional footballer who played for Southampton in the late 1890s
Frederick Ronald Hastings Englefield (1891-1975), English poet and philosopher
Sir Henry Charles Englefield (1752-1822), 7th Baronet, an English antiquary and scientist
Jarrod Ian Englefield (b. 1979), New Zealand cricketer who captained New Zealand in three Under-19 Tests against England in 1998/9, winning one and losing one.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)