Gouldwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Gouldwell family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Essex at Goldwell in Horndon on the Hill. The surname Gouldwell is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Gouldwell family

The surname Gouldwell was first found in Essex where Nicholas Goldewell was listed as holding lands in 1478. 1

James Goldwell (d. 1499), was Bishop of Norwich, "son of William and Avice Goldwell, born at Great Chart, Kent, on the manor which had belonged to his family since the days of Sir John Goldwell, a soldier in the reign of King John. During his long life Goldwell received constant preferment in the church, and was employed on political missions by Edward IV. He was admitted rector of St. John the Evangelist's, London, 20 May 1455, but resigned this living the same year on being transferred to Rivenhall, Essex. He died 15 February 1499. Thomas Goldwell, Bishop of St. Asaph, was his great-great-nephew." 2

Early History of the Gouldwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gouldwell research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1472, 1499, 1507, 1532, 1559 and 1585 are included under the topic Early Gouldwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gouldwell Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Gouldwell include Goldwell, Gouldwell and others.

Early Notables of the Gouldwell family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Goldwell (d. 1585), Bishop of St. Asaph, "a member of a family living long before his time at the manor of Goldwell in the parish of Great Chart in Kent, where he was probably born. His father's name seems to have been William Goldwell. His mother was still alive in 1532. He...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gouldwell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gouldwell migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Gouldwell or a variant listed above:

Gouldwell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Gouldwell, who landed in Virginia in 1623 3

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)