Rodwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The lineage of the name Rodwell begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in Rothwell, a place-name found in the counties of Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 The place-name Rothwell is derived from the Old English words roth, which means forest clearing, and wella, which means spring or stream. The place-name as a whole translates as "spring or stream in the summer clearing." 2 In the Domesday Book, 3 compiled in 1086, each of those places was originally listed as Rodewelle.

Early Origins of the Rodwell family

The surname Rodwell was first found in Lincolnshire where one of the first listings of the family was Robert de Rothewelle who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Later in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls, Johanna de Rothewell and Johannes de Rothewell were listed. 1

Early History of the Rodwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rodwell research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1627 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Rodwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rodwell 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 Rodwell has undergone many spelling variations, including Rothwell, Rathwell, Rosswell, Rosewell and others.

Early Notables of the Rodwell family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Rothwell, the exorcist, who was born at Bolton (now in Greater Manchester) in 1563. 4 He died in 1627 and was "known as "Bold Rothwell, the Apostle of the North," and famed as an exorcist, who professed to have wonderful contests...
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rodwell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rodwell family to Ireland

Some of the Rodwell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rodwell migration to the United States +

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 Rodwell were among those contributors:

Rodwell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Rodwell, who arrived in New York in 1835 5

Rodwell migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Rodwell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Christopher Brown Rodwell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Dawson" in 1839 6
Henry Rodwell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Bartlett" in 1847 7
Mr. Richard Rodwell, (Rothwell), (b. 1819), aged 32, English stone cutter who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 10 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1889 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Rodwell (post 1700) +

Brigadier-General James Stevenson Rodwell (1896-1962), American Assistant Commanding General 4th Division, North-West Europe (1944-1946) 9
Eric Rodwell (b. 1957), American bridge player
Craig Rodwell (1940-1993), American gay rights activist and the founder of the first gay bookstore
Lillie B. Rodwell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1972 10
Calvin A. Rodwell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 2000, 2004 10
George Herbert Buonaparte Rodwell (1800-1852), English author, musical director and composer from London, brother of James Thomas Gooderham Rodwell, playwright and lessee of the Adelphi Theatre
John Medows Rodwell (1808-1900), English translator of the Koran
Jack Rodwell (b. 1991), English footballer
Anthony "Tony" Rodwell (b. 1962), English professional footballer
Brett Rodwell (b. 1970), Australian rugby league footballer
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAWSON 1839 (also called DAWSONS). Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Dawsons.gif
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN BARTLETT 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847JohnBartlett.gif
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) James Rodwell. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Rodwell/James_Stevenson/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html