Show ContentsWatdinman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Watdinman family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Lincolnshire at Wadingham, a parish, in the union of Caistor, E. division of the wapentake of Manley, parts of Lindsey. 1

Early Origins of the Watdinman family

The surname Watdinman was first found in Lincolnshire where Gocelin Fitz Lambert was granted the lands of Wadingham by the Bishop of Bayeux. 2

Early rolls show the prominence of the name in early times: Nicholas de Wadingham was recorded c. 1160; Alan de Wadingeham was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1218; and Nicholas de Wadingham was recorded in 1264. 3

Early History of the Watdinman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Watdinman research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1388, 1397, 1411, 1438, 1522, 1523, 1529, 1532, 1534, 1541, 1577 and 1609 are included under the topic Early Watdinman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watdinman Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Waddingham, Wadingham, Wadham and others.

Early Notables of the Watdinman family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Nicholas Wadham (1532-1609), founder of Wadham College, Oxford, born in 1532, the only surviving son of John Wadham (d. 1577), and his wife Joan, daughter and coheir of John Tregarthin of Cornwall. The family originally came and took its name from Wadham or Wadeham in the parish of Knowstone, North Devonshire, where it was settled in the reign of Edward I. Thence it migrated to Egge or Edge, near Seaton in the same county. Edge was the seat of John Wadham (d. 1411), who was appointed a judge of the...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Watdinman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Watdinman family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Watdinman or a variant listed above: George Wadham who settled in Virginia in 1663; Richard Wadham settled in Barbados in 1685; Phillip Waddingham settled in Virginia in 1654.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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