Show ContentsWadham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Wadham family

The surname Wadham was first found in Devon where the village and seat of the Wadhams was recorded as being held by Ulf in the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, who also held the lands before the Conquest. The Domesday Book was a census of all England commissioned by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of Britain. At this census Ulf, a Saxon, is recorded as holding from the King as a tenant, the small village and farm holdings including 8 wild mares and 12 cattle. [1]

Another source notes: "Wadham in Knowstone parish, the original residence of the Wadhams, is one of the few Devon manors noticed in ' Domesday,' as continuing in the same Saxon hands from the reign of the Confessor, and the Lysonses suggest it as not improbable that the holder, Ulf, may have been the ancestor of the Wadham family. There is at any rate nothing to militate against this hypothesis. " [2]

"The village of Branscombe, [in Sidmouth, Devon] with its partially Norman church, claims a niche not merely in county but in general history, from its personal connections. Soon after the Conquest the property of a family named after the place, it passed to the Wadhams, by whom it was held for eight generations. Nicholas and Dorothy Wadham, the last owners of that name, founding Wadham College, appropriated thereto great portion of their wealth. When Nicholas Wadham died, in 1609, he left his estate to the families of Wyndham and Strangways. A monument in the church is appropriated to Dorothy Wadham. The Wadhams lived in an old house still standing, called Edge, or Egge. " [2]

The church of St. Martin in the town of Liskeard, Cornwall "contains two inscriptions, recording two benefactions bequeathed for charitable purposes; and a memorial for Joseph Wadham, who died in 1707, who is described as the last of that family whose ancestors were the founders of Wadham College, Oxford." [3]

Early History of the Wadham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wadham research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1472, 1498, 1499, 1501, 1502, 1513, 1514, 1515, 1516, 1517, 1529, 1531, 1532, 1534, 1535, 1542, 1556, 1558, 1596, 1609, 1618 and 1645 are included under the topic Early Wadham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wadham Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Wadham include Wadham, Wadhams, Waddams, Waddam, Woddom, Woddam, Wodham, Wodhams, Waddeham, Wadeham and many more.

Early Notables of the Wadham family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Sir Nicholas Wadham (c. 1472-1542) of Merifield, English politician, Member of the Parliament for Somerset in 1529, High Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset (1498-1499) and (1534-1535), High Sheriff of Dev...
  • Florence Wyndham (née Wadham) (died 1596) was the daughter of Sir John Wadham of Merifield and sister of Nicholas Wadham. She was thought to have died in 1556 and buried in the Wyndham family vault. T...


United States Wadham migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Wadham or a variant listed above:

Wadham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Wadham, who landed in Connecticut in 1645 [4]
  • George Wadham who settled in Virginia in 1663

Australia Wadham migration to Australia +

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

Wadham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Charles George Wadham, aged 27, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Ramillies" [5]

West Indies Wadham migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [6]
Wadham Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Richard Wadham, who settled in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Wadham (post 1700) +

  • James E. Wadham (1865-1930), American Democratic politician from California, 14th Mayor of San Diego (1911-1913)
  • James E Wadham (1865-1930), American Democratic politician
  • Edward Wadham JP (1828-1913), English mineral agent to the Duke of Buccleuch in 1851
  • Olive Louise Wadham (1909-2004), English gold and bronze medalist freestyle swimmer
  • Paul Wadham (1943-2006), Australian rules footballer
  • Lucy Wadham (b. 1964), British novelist and writer of crime fiction

HMS Royal Oak
  • Horace F. Wadham, British Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking [7]


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  3. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  4. 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)
  5. South Australian Register Tuesday 11 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAMILLIES 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/ramillies1853.shtml
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  7. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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