Show ContentsBawden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The notable Bawden family arose among the Cornish People, a race with a rich Celtic heritage and an indomitable fighting spirit who inhabited the southwest of England. While surnames were well-known during the English medieval period, Cornish People originally used only a single name. The way in which hereditary surnames came into common use is interesting. As the population of medieval Europe multiplied, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Under the Feudal System of government, surnames evolved and they often reflected life on the manor and in the field. Patronymic surnames were derived from given names and were the predominant type of surname among the Celtic peoples of Britain. However, the people of Cornwall provide a surprising exception to this rule, and patronymic surnames are less common among them than other people of Celtic stock, such as their Welsh neighbors. This is due to the greater influence of English bureaucracy and naming practices in Cornwall at the time that surnames first arose. This type of surname blended perfectly with the prevailing Feudal System. One feature that is occasionally found in Cornish surnames of this type is the suffix -oe or -ow; this is derived from the Cornish plural suffix -ow. is a patronymic surname that came from the ancient Germanic personal name Baldwin. Interestingly, the name Bawden was originally derived from the words bald, meaning bold, and wine, meaning friend or protector.

Early Origins of the Bawden family

The surname Bawden was first found in Cornwall, where they held a family seat from ancient times. [1]

"The Sieur de Baudewin, whose name occurs on the Roll, became, after the battle of Hastings, Castellan of Montgomery, and from him that town acquired its Welsh appellation of Tre Faldwiri, or town of Baldwin. There scarcely exists a doubt that this Norman Chief was patriarch of the ancient and respectable Shropshire family of Bawdewin, or Baldwyn, of which was Thomas Baldwyn, Esq., of Diddlebury, who suffered imprisonment in the Tower of London, temp. Queen Elizabeth, and went through much suffering, as his epitaph, still remaining at Diddlebury, quaintly records." [2]

Early History of the Bawden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bawden research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1563 and 1632 are included under the topic Early Bawden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bawden Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Bawden, Bawdin, Bawdewen, Bawdwin, Bawdewyn, Baudin and many more.

Early Notables of the Bawden family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Father William Bawden (1563-1632), who was an English Jesuit and schoolmaster who was implicated in the Gunpowder plot...


United States Bawden migration to the United States +

Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Bawden:

Bawden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Lambert Bawden, who landed in Maryland in 1837 [3]
  • Mr. Henry Bawden, (b. 1813), aged 24, Cornish miner departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 8th May 1837 [4]
  • Mr. William Bawden, (b. 1818), aged 22, English mason departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 [4]
  • Mr. Richard Bawden, (b. 1804), aged 36, English mason departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 [4]
  • Mrs. Catherine Bawden, (b. 1802), aged 38, English settler departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bawden Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. William Bawden, (b. 1876), aged 24, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 25th August 1900 en route to Washington, USA [5]
  • Mrs. Phillipa Jane Bawden, (b. 1878), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 28th November 1903 en route to Iron Mountain, Michigan, USA [5]
  • Mr. Edward James Bawden, (b. 1884), aged 20, Cornish blacksmith travelling aboard the ship "Saint Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 5th June 1904 en route to Bisbee, Arizona, USA [5]
  • Mr. William F. Bawden, (b. 1879), aged 25, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Saint Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th April 1904 en route to Leadville, Colorado, USA [5]
  • Mr. James H. Bawden, (b. 1865), aged 39, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 10th July 1904 en route to Butte, Montana, USA [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Bawden migration to Australia +

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

Bawden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary Bawden, British Convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [6]
  • Mr. Samuel Bawden (b. 1813), aged 21, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 22nd March 1833, sentenced for 14 years for stealing clothes from the Consolidated Mines, transported aboard the ship "Neva" on 27th July 1833 to New South Wales, Australia [7]
  • Mr. William Bawden, (b. 1799), aged 39, Cornish engineer, from Marazion, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Alfred" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 16th January 1839 [8]
  • Mrs. Mary Bawden, (b. 1798), aged 40, Cornish housekeeper, from Marazion, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Alfred" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 16th January 1839 [8]
  • Mr. Thomas Bawden, (b. 1833), aged 6, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Alfred" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 16th January 1839 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Bawden 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:

Bawden Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Bawden, aged 23, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Accrington" in 1863 [9]
  • Elizabeth Ann Bawden, aged 21, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Accrington" in 1863 [9]
  • Ms. Elizabeth Ann Bawden, (b.1842), aged 21, Cornish settler departing on 18th June 1863 aboard the ship "Accrington" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 5th September 1863 [10]
  • Mr. John Bawden, (b.1837), aged 25, Cornish farm labourer departing on 18th December 1862 aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 [10]
  • Mrs. Mary Ann Bawden, (b.1841), aged 21, Cornish settler departing on 18th December 1862 aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 [10]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bawden (post 1700) +

  • Peter Colwell Bawden (1929-1991), Canadian businessman and former Member of Parliament (1972-1979)
  • Grace Bawden (b. 1992), Australian classical crossover singer [11]
  • Nina Bawden CBE (b. 1925), British novelist and children's writer
  • Edward Bawden (1903-1989), British Painter

Empress of Ireland
  • Miss Florence Annie Bawden (1890-1914), American Second Class Passenger from Hillsboro, Indian, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [12]
  • Miss Elizabeth Bawden (1883-1914), American Second Class Passenger from Hillsboro, Indian, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [12]


  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  7. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  11. Grace Bawden. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Grace Bawden. Retrieved from http://www.gracebawden.com
  12. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html


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