Mawdslay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Mawdslay is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the settlement of Mawdesley in the county of Lancashire. 1 2 The surname Mawdslay 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 Mawdslay family

The surname Mawdslay 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 Mawdslay family

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

Mawdslay 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 Mawdslay family name include Mawdesley, Maudesley, Maudsley and others.

Early Notables of the Mawdslay family

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

Migration of the Mawdslay 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 Mawdslay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: 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)