Show ContentsEdgworde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient roots of the Edgworde family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Edgworde comes from when the family lived in the parish of Edgeworth, Gloucestershire, and/or at Edgworth in Lancashire.

Early Origins of the Edgworde family

The surname Edgworde was first found in Edgworth, a township in the chapelry of Turton, in the hundred of Salford, Lancashire. It comprises 2960 acres of pasture and moor and dates back to 1212 when it was listed as Eggewrthe. The name probably means "enclosure on an edge or hillside" from the Old English "ecg" + "worth." 1

Edgeworth is a small village and civil parish in Gloucestershire that had only 149 inhabitants as of 1848. 2

Edgeworth, later called Edgeware was a village in Middlesex that was the original homestead of Roger Edgeworth, the Elizabethan monk whose family emigrated to Ireland. 3 Stephen de Eddeworth was Warden of the City of London in 1268.

Early History of the Edgworde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edgworde research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1554, 1560, 1583, 1593, 1619, 1641 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Edgworde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edgworde Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Edgworde has appeared include Edgeworth, Edgworth, Edgeware, Edgeworthe and others.

Early Notables of the Edgworde family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Roger Edgeworth (d. 1560), was a Catholic divine, born at Holt Castle, the seat of Sir William Stanley, brother to the Earl of Derby. He was a canon of the cathedrals of Salisbury and Wells...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Edgworde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Edgworde family to Ireland

Some of the Edgworde family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 162 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Edgworde family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Edgworde arrived in North America very early: John Edgeworth who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1786; followed by George and Robert Edgeworth in 1868.



The Edgworde Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Constans contraria spernit
Motto Translation: The resolute man despises difficulties.


  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. Burke, John Esq. A Genealogical and Heraldic History of The Landed Gentry; or Commoners of Great Britian and Ireland. London: Henry Colburn Publisher, 13, Great Marlborough Street, 1837, Print.


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