Coldwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Among the the peoples of ancient Scotland, the first to use the name Coldwell were the Strathclyde-Britons. Coldwell was a name for someone who lived in Renfrewshire. This place-name may also be derived from the Old English words caeld, which means cold, and welle, which means well, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a well that gave cold water. 1
Early Origins of the Coldwell family
The surname Coldwell was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, at the Caldwell Tower, a mansion and old estate that dates back to 1294. 2
The current Caldwell Tower stands on a mound, and is a small, free-standing tower that was probably built in the 16th century.
It was fully restored in 2011 with the addition of a small extension. Caldwell is also a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire.
"The old family of the name appears to have ended in the direct line in an heiress in the fifteenth century. In 1342 there is an entry of the fee of William de Caldwell. Robert Cauldwell was a merchant in the service of Sir John of Montgomery, 1405." 3
The Caudle variant may be related to a thickened and sweetened alcoholic hot drink so named. It was popular in the Middle Ages for its supposed medicinal properties and dates back to at least 1297.
Further to the south in the English county of Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Johannes de Coldwell; and Thomas de Coldwele. 4
Early History of the Coldwell family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coldwell research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1419, 1495, 1505, 1526, 1533, 1548, 1551, 1554, 1559, 1561, 1572, 1581, 1584, 1596, 1628, 1661, 1679, 1687, 1796, 1890 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Coldwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Coldwell Spelling Variations
Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Coldwell has been spelled Caldwell, Coldwell, Caldwill, Cauldwell, Cauldwill, Cawldwell, Guildwell, Calewell, Caldewell and many more.
Early Notables of the Coldwell family
Notable amongst the family at this time was
- John Coldwell (d. 1596), was Bishop of Salisbury, born at Faversham, Kent and was matriculated at St. John's College, Cambridge, on 15 May 1551. 5
Coldwell Ranking
In the United States, the name Coldwell is the 13,559th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6
Migration of the Coldwell family to Ireland
Some of the Coldwell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Coldwell migration to the United States +
Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:
Coldwell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Thomas Coldwell, who arrived in Mississippi in 1850 7
Coldwell migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Coldwell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Coldwell migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Coldwell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- T Coldwell, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842
Contemporary Notables of the name Coldwell (post 1700) +
- Terry Coldwell, British musician, member of band East 17
- Pedro Joaquín Coldwell (b. 1950), Mexican politician, Secretary of Energy (2012-)
- Paul V Coldwell (b. 1952), English artist
- Pattie Coldwell (1952-2002), British TV presenter and journalist
- Major James William Coldwell PC CC (1888-1974), Canadian politician, 2nd Leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (1942-1960), 2nd National Chairman of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (1938-1942)
- Leonard John "Len" Coldwell (1933-1996), English cricketer who played in seven Tests for England from 1962 to 1964
- George Robson Coldwell (1858-1924), Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1907 to 1915
- George Cecil Coldwell (b. 1929), English professional footballer for Sheffield United (1951-1966)
- William Rodney "Bill" Coldwell (1932-1995), English football manager and scout
- General Dean Coldwell Strother (1908-2000), United States Air Force four star general, Commander in Chief, North American Air Defense Command, Commander in Chief, Continental Air Defense Command (1965 to 1966)
The Coldwell Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Fac et spera
Motto Translation: Do and hope.
Citations +
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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 Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-grey