Show ContentsEdgwork History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Edgwork name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the parish of Edgeworth, Gloucestershire, and/or at Edgworth in Lancashire.

Early Origins of the Edgwork family

The surname Edgwork 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 Edgwork family

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

Edgwork Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Edgwork has undergone many spelling variations, including Edgeworth, Edgworth, Edgeware, Edgeworthe and others.

Early Notables of the Edgwork 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 Edgwork Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Edgwork family to Ireland

Some of the Edgwork 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 Edgwork family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Edgwork were among those contributors: John Edgeworth who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1786; followed by George and Robert Edgeworth in 1868.



The Edgwork 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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