Show ContentsYgeldend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Ygeldend is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Ygeldend family lived in Cambridgeshire, at Ickleton, parish, in the union of Linton, hundred of Whittlesford. "This place was the seat of a Benedictine nunnery, founded in the reign of Henry II. The church, supposed to have been built before the Conquest, contains 400 sittings." 1 2

Another source notes that the family came from Ingleden in Kent. 3

Early Origins of the Ygeldend family

The surname Ygeldend was first found in Cambridgeshire where they were conjecturally descended from Hardwin of Scales, a Norman knight who held the mamor of Ickleton from Count Eustace. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Robert de Incledene in Devon at that time. 5 Richard Igolynden and John Igulden were listed as holding lands in 1475 and 1536. 3

Early History of the Ygeldend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ygeldend research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1692, 1730, 1738, 1745, 1758, 1765, 1795 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Ygeldend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ygeldend Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Ygeldend are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Ygeldend include Ickleton, Icledon, Ickledon, Icleton, Iggulden, Iggelden, Igguldon, Iggelsden, Igglesden, Igglesdon, Incleden and many more.

Early Notables of the Ygeldend family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Benjamin Incledon (1730-1796), a noted genealogist, "baptised at Pilton, near Barnstaple, Devonshire, 6 June 1730, was the second son, but the successor to the estate, of Robert Incledon, of Pilton House, by his second wife, Penelope, daughter of John Sanford of Ninehead, Somerset. The father was buried at Pilton on 9 Dec. 1758, aged 83, and the mother on 30 April 1738. Their son was educated at Blundell's school, Tiverton, and in...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ygeldend Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ygeldend family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Ygeldend, or a variant listed above: Elizabeth, Jane, John, and Sarah Iggleden who settled in Massachusetts in 1634.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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