Show ContentsCharlwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient history of the Charlwood name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the village and parish of Charlwood on the border of Sussex and Surrey which dates back to at least the 12th century when it was first listed as Cherlewde. Literally the place name means "wood of the freeman or peasants," from the Old English words "ceorl" + "wudu." 1

Early Origins of the Charlwood family

The surname Charlwood was first found in West Sussex, where Charlwood House is an early 17th-century timber-framed country house in Lowfield Heath, Crawley. "This place was the scene of a sanguinary battle between the Danes and the men of Surrey and Sussex, that occurred near a bridge since called Kilman Bridge, and in which the Danes were defeated with great slaughter." 2 Today Charlwood is a village and civil parish in the Mole Valley district of Surrey, but is on the historic county boundary between Surrey and Sussex.

Early History of the Charlwood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Charlwood research. Another 207 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1500, 1591, 1592, 1688, 1779 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Charlwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Charlwood Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Charlwood include Charlwood, Cherleswode, Charlewood, Charlwode, Charlwoode and many more.

Early Notables of the Charlwood family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • John Charlwood, (d. 1592) a prominent printer during the 1500s. He 'seems to have printed so early as Queen Mary's reign, in a temporary partnership with John Tysdale at the Saracen's Head, near Holbo...


United States Charlwood migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Charlwood or a variant listed above:

Charlwood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Charlwood who arrived in Virginia in 1658
Charlwood Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Archibald John Charlwood, aged 30, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 3
  • Albert Edward Charlwood, aged 37, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 3
  • Winifred Charlwood, aged 35, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 3
  • Leonard Wallace Charlwood, aged 30, originally from London, England, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 3

Australia Charlwood migration to Australia +

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

Charlwood Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Charlwood, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Stephen Charlwood, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1849 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Charlwood (post 1700) +

  • John Charlwood (1871-1923), English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Sussex
  • Charles Robert Charlwood (1842-1880), English cricketer for Sussex (1866-1869)
  • Alexander Evelyn Charlwood (1888-1974), English cricketer for Sussex (1911-1914)
  • Henry Rupert James Charlwood (1846-1888), English cricketer for Sussex (1865-1882); he played in the first two Test matches for England
  • Donald Ernest Cameron "Don" Charlwood AM (1915-2012), Australian author and RAAF navigator in Bomber Command during the Second World War


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HARPLEY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Harpley.htm


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