Show ContentsIgelden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Igelden family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Cambridgeshire, at Ickleton, parish, in the union of Linton, hundred of Whittlesford. "This place was the seat of a Benedictine nunnery, founded in the reign of Henry II. The church, supposed to have been built before the Conquest, contains 400 sittings." 1 2

Another source notes that the family came from Ingleden in Kent. 3

Early Origins of the Igelden family

The surname Igelden was first found in Cambridgeshire where they were conjecturally descended from Hardwin of Scales, a Norman knight who held the mamor of Ickleton from Count Eustace. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Robert de Incledene in Devon at that time. 5 Richard Igolynden and John Igulden were listed as holding lands in 1475 and 1536. 3

Early History of the Igelden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Igelden research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1730, 1738, 1745, 1758, 1765, 1795 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Igelden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Igelden Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Ickleton, Icledon, Ickledon, Icleton, Iggulden, Iggelden, Igguldon, Iggelsden, Igglesden, Igglesdon, Incleden and many more.

Early Notables of the Igelden family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Benjamin Incledon (1730-1796), a noted genealogist, "baptised at Pilton, near Barnstaple, Devonshire, 6 June 1730, was the second son, but the successor to the estate, of Robert Incledon, of Pilton House, by his second wife, Penelope, daughter of John Sanford of Ninehead, Somerset. The father was buried at Pilton on 9 Dec. 1758, aged 83, and the mother on 30 April 1738. Their son was educated at Blundell's school, Tiverton, and in...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Igelden Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Igelden family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Igelden or a variant listed above were: Elizabeth, Jane, John, and Sarah Iggleden who settled in Massachusetts in 1634.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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