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The Anglo-Saxon name Maydewes comes from when the family resided in or near a meadow. The surname Maydewes is derived from the Old English words mæd and mædwe, which both mean meadow. The surname Maydewes belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.
The surname Maydewes was first found in Suffolk at Witnesham, a parish, in the union of Woodbridge, hundred of Carlford. "The family of Meadows, from a branch of which the present Earl Manvers is descended, have had a seat here since the time of Richard III." 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maydewes research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maydewes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Maydewes has been recorded under many different variations, including Meadowes, Meadows, Meadow, Meddows, Meddus, Meadus, Medus, Medis and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Maydewes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Maydewes or a variant listed above: Anne Meadowes settled with her husband in Virginia in 1684; Elizabeth Meadows and her husband settled in Annapolis in 1758; James and John Meadows settled in Philadelphia in 1860. Edmund Meadus of Poole, Dorset, settled in Newfoundland in the 1830's..