Filward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Filward family

The surname Filward was first found in Lancashire at Fulwood, "for many generations the seat of the family." 1 However, another source claims that the family is from Fulwood, "an ecclesiastical district in the parish of Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire This seems to have been the habitat of the family." 2

And another source claims that family is from the West Riding of Yorkshire were Adam de Foulewode was first listed in 1326. 3

Indeed, this latter source may point us in the correct direction as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Hugo de Folewode, taylour; Ricardus de Folewod; and Hugo de Fulewode as all holding lands there at that time. 2

In an attempt to clear up the confusion, we explored the origin of the place name Fulwood. It is derived from the Old English words "ful" + "wudu." The oldest place was in Lancashire where it was recorded as Fulede in 1199, followed by Folewode, Nottinghamshire in the 13 century. 4

Early History of the Filward family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Filward research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1167, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1562, 1563, 1589, 1590, 1600, 1606, 1624 and 1643 are included under the topic Early Filward History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Filward 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 Filward family name include Fullwood, Fullward, Fulwood, Fulward, Filwood, Folward, Folwood, Foulwood, Filward, Fillward and many more.

Early Notables of the Filward family

Distinguished members of the family include Christopher Fulwood (1590?-1643), English Royalist, probably born in London about 1590, the eldest son of Sir George Fulwood, Lord of the Manor of Middleton by Youlgrave, Derbyshire...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Filward Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Filward family

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 Filward surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Fulwood, who arrived in Virginia in 1623; George Fullwood, who settled in Barbados in 1635; John Fullwood, who came to New York in 1637; Samuel Fulwood, who settled in Barbados in 1701.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)