Widdows History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Widdows was originally a baptismal name as in "the son of Wydo" which is English for Guido or Guy 1 or it was an Old English name derived from "widuwe, widewe (widow)" 2

Early Origins of the Widdows family

The surname Widdows was first found in Norfolk where William filius Wydo was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. The same roll lists Reginald filius Wydonis in Hunts county. Other early variants of the name include Thomas Wydowe who was listed during the reign of Richard II (1367-1400) and much later Annabella Wydow was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. This latter listing is quite unique as at this time, female entries were very rare. 1

Another source notes Richard Wyduesone listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1309; Peter la Wydewesone in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1326; John la Wydewesone in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327; and William le Wydusone in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire in 1332. 2

Early History of the Widdows family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Widdows research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1279, 1297, 1481, 1502, 1505, 1576, 1588, 1594, 1595, 1603, 1604, 1619, 1645, 1732, 1898 and 1990 are included under the topic Early Widdows History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Widdows Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Widdow, Wyddow, Wyddowson, Widdowson, Widdas, Widders, Widdis, Widwise, Widdars, Widow, Widows, Widdos, Widdoes and many more.

Early Notables of the Widdows family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Widdowson was British sheriff, who held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1594 to 1595

Widdows migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Widdows Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Widdows, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 3
John Widdows, who landed in Virginia in 1724 3

Widdows migration to Australia +

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

Widdows Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Widdows, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
John Widdows, English convict from Norfolk, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Widdows (post 1700) +

E.I. Widdows, Australian meteorologist at Mawson Station in 1959, eponym of Point Widdows, Antarctica
Connor Widdows (b. 1992), Canadian actor, best known for his roles in the X-Men franchise
Christopher "Steady Eddy" Widdows, Australian comedian and actor with Cerebral Palsy
Robin Widdows (b. 1942), former Formula One driver from England

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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832