Mawdesly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Mawdesly name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the settlement of Mawdesley in the county of Lancashire. 1 2 The surname Mawdesly belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Mawdesly family

The surname Mawdesly was first found in Lancashire at Mawdesley, a township, in the parish of Croston, union of Chorley, hundred of Leyland. "Adam de Mawdesley was a ward of the duchy of Lancaster in the reign of Edward III.; Robert Mawdesley, the last of this ancient family, was living at Mawdesley Hall about 1760. " 3

"The Mawdesleys of Mawdesley possessed the demesnes of Mawdesley from the 12th to the 17th century (B.), and the name still occurs there." 4 Thomas de Maudesley was listed in the Lancashire Fines of 1398. 5

William de Maudesley was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1401 and Robert Mawdesley was listed as a Freeman or York in 1476. 6

Early History of the Mawdesly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mawdesly research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mawdesly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mawdesly Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Mawdesly has undergone many spelling variations, including Mawdesley, Maudesley, Maudsley and others.

Early Notables of the Mawdesly family

More information is included under the topic Early Mawdesly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mawdesly family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Mawdesly were among those contributors: Henry Maudesley settled in Boston in 1635; Richard Maudesley settled in Philadelphia in 1852; John Mawdesley settled in New England in 1630; Mary Mawdesley settled with her husband and two children in Philadelphia in 1822.

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)