Show ContentsShadwal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient roots of the Shadwal family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Shadwal comes from when the family lived in one of the various places called Chadwell in the counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, and Wiltshire. Places called Caldwell exist in Warwickshire and the North Riding of Yorkshire. There is also a Chardwell in Essex and a Chardle Ditch in Cambridgeshire as well as a plethora of similarly-named places throughout England. The surname Shadwal is derived from the names of these settlements, which are ultimately derived from the Old English words ceald, which means cold, and wielle, which means spring or stream. 1

Early Origins of the Shadwal family

The surname Shadwal was first found in Essex at Chadwell, a parish, in the union of Orsett, hundred of Barstable. "At the time of the Norman survey, the parish belonged principally to the Bishop of London, and some portions to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and others. 2 The Domesday Book of 1086 lists the place name was Celdeuuella. 3

Early History of the Shadwal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shadwal research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1614, 1640, 1642, 1644, 1689 and 1692 are included under the topic Early Shadwal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shadwal Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Shadwal has appeared include Chadwell, Chadall, Shadwell, Chadwel and others.

Early Notables of the Shadwal family

Distinguished members of the family include William Chadwell (born 1614), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Mitchell (1640-1644), he supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War; and Thomas Shadwell (1642-1692), an English poet and playwright who was appointed Poet Laureate in 1689. "He was grandson of George Shadwell, and son of John Shadwell of the parish of Broomhill, Norfolk. He claimed descent from the family...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shadwal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shadwal family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Shadwal arrived in North America very early: Dan and his wife Anne settled in Virginia in 1651.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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