| ![Show Contents]() Burwel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of BurwelWhat does the name Burwel mean? The Anglo-Saxon name Burwel comes from when the family resided in Burwell, a place-name found in a number of English counties including Northampton, Cambridgeshire, and Lincolnshire. Thus, an original bearer of the surname Burwell hailed from any of the above places. The place-name Burwell is derived from the Old English byrig-wiellw which means town well or fort by a spring. Early Origins of the Burwel familyThe surname Burwel was first found in Cambridgeshire at Burwell, a village and civil parish located there since 1060 when records there have the village name as Burcwell. Remains of a 12th century fort's dry moat can still be seen there today. "Here are the ruins of a castle surrounded by a moat, which was besieged in the war between Stephen and the Empress Matilda, by Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, who was shot by an arrow from the walls. The church of St. Andrew Burwell has long been demolished, and the cemetery converted into pastureground." 1 Burwell Castle was an unfinished medieval motte and bailey castle. It was built in 1143 by Stephen I of England, on the site of a former Roman villa. Thomas Lethbridge excavated the site in 1935 and since 1983 the site is held by the Burwell Parish Council. The Domesday Book 2 of 1086 lists the spellings Burewelle, Burwella and Burwelle. At that time it was part of the Stapole hundred, held by the Abbot of Ramsey. The same reference lists Buruelle which has been modernized as Burwell in Lincolnshire. 3 Early History of the Burwel familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burwel research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burwel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Burwel Spelling VariationsThe 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. Burwel has been recorded under many different variations, including Burwell, Burwelle and others. Early Notables of the Burwel family- Sir Geoffrey Burwell, Lord of the Manor of Rougham
Migration of the Burwel familyFor 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 Burwel or a variant listed above: George and Frances Burwell who settled in Virginia in 1648 with their children, Elizabeth, Francis, Lewis, Robert, William; and Dorothy Burwell, aged 50.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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