Show ContentsPrestwoyd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Prestwoyd comes from when the family resided in or near the priest's wood, or in Prestwood, a place-name found in Buckinghamshire and in Sussex. The place-name and the surname are derived from the Old English words preost, which meant priest, and wudu, which meant wood or forest. The surname means "dweller by the priest's wood."

Early Origins of the Prestwoyd family

The surname Prestwoyd was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Prestwood. Little is recorded of their early history before the 13th century but the senior representative of the family was Reginald Prestwood who lived about 1400. The family moved at this point south to Devon where the main stem resided. The family also gave their name to Prestwood in Shropshire and Buckinghamshire. They also branched to Staffordshire.

Early History of the Prestwoyd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prestwoyd research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1570, 1608, 1628, 1629, 1655, 1692 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Prestwoyd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Prestwoyd Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Prestwoyd has been recorded under many different variations, including Prestwood, Presswood, Prestwold, Presswold, Prestwald and many more.

Early Notables of the Prestwoyd family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Prestwoyd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Prestwoyd family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Prestwoyd or a variant listed above: Roger Presswood who landed in North America in 1700; Joan Prestwood, who settled in Virginia in 1666; and Richard Prestwood, who was on record in Baltimore in 1749..



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