Show ContentsCharlwoold History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Charlwoold come 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 Charlwoold family

The surname Charlwoold 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 Charlwoold family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Charlwoold 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 Charlwoold History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Charlwoold Spelling Variations

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. Charlwoold has been recorded under many different variations, including Charlwood, Cherleswode, Charlewood, Charlwode, Charlwoode and many more.

Early Notables of the Charlwoold 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 Holbourn Conduit.' 3 "Charlewood apparently came from Surrey, as on...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Charlwoold Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Charlwoold family

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 Charlwoold or a variant listed above: Richard Charlwood who arrived in Virginia in 1658.



  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. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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