Holdefield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Holdefield is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Holdefield family lived in Oldfield, Cheshire. This is a topographical name whose derivation is just as it looks. The original bearer of the name Oldfield would have been distinguished by residence near to an old field. Individual cases of the name may also spring from residence in a place which bears the name Oldfield for the same reasons as above. 1

Early Origins of the Holdefield family

The surname Holdefield was first found in Cheshire where "Guy de Provence, who came to this country [England] in the suite of Eleanor, on her marriage to King Henry III in 1236, married Alice, sister of Sir Patrick de Hartwell, and with her obtained the manor and lands of Oldfield, co. Chester. Their grandson, Richard, was the first who assumed the name De Oldfield." 2 Today, the hamlet of Oldfield is part of Gayton, a village in Wirral, Merseyside.

Early rolls give us a glimpse at the many spellings in use over the years: Helyas de Aldeacris was listed as holding lands in Yorkshire in 1231; Agnes de Aldefeld was listed in Suffolk in 1221; Robert de la Aldfeld in Cambridgeshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279; and Adam del Oldfeld in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. 3

Early History of the Holdefield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holdefield research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1236, 1552, 1581, 1585, 1595, 1614, 1623, 1624, 1627, 1644, 1645, 1649, 1651, 1656, 1664, 1682, 1683, 1687, 1692, 1699, 1729, 1730, 1767, 1796 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Holdefield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Holdefield Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Oldfield, Oldefield, Oldfeild and others.

Early Notables of the Holdefield family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Robert de Oldefelde of Oldfield; The Blessed Thomas Aufield (sometimes spelt Alfield) (1552-1585), an English Roman Catholic martyr, born in Gloucestershire, imprisoned and tortured in the Tower of London, beatified in 1929; Sir Samuel Owfield (1595-1644), an English politician...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holdefield Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Holdefield family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Holdefield name or one of its variants: John Oldfield arrived in Maryland in 1684; Eleanor Oldfield settled in Maryland in 1730; Rhodes Oldfield settled in Philadelphia in 1871.

The Holdefield Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In cruce vincam
Motto Translation: I shall conquer in the cross.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)