Etwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Etwell

What does the name Etwell mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Etwell comes from when the family resided in southeastern England mainly in the counties of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire where they were found since the early Middle Ages. 1

The name is toponymic; that is, it is descriptive of the place where the original bearer lived. Literally the name is derived from the Old English atwell, meaning dweller at the well. 2

Another source noted that the name is from "Atte Welle; a location name. Adopted as a surname 1258-1358, Court of Husting, London. " 3

Early Origins of the Etwell family

The surname Etwell was first found in south eastern England mainly in the counties of Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat for many, many centuries. They are recorded as possessing estates before the advent of the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. but many of them were lost to their Norman overlords by forfeit. The Eatwell variant is thought to be related to a Hugo de Hetewelle, listed in 1187 in the Pipe Rolls for Derbyshire. 4

There were a multitude of early spellings of the name. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Adam Ate Welle, Oxfordshire; and John Atewelle, Cambridgeshire. The Writ of Parliament list: William atte Well, 1313 and John Atwelle. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Willelmus Attewell.

In Norfolk, Jef the Franch Atwelle, was rector of Erpingham, Norfolk, 1448 and Hugh Attwyll, was parson of Cawverly, Devon, 1602. 5

Early History of the Etwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Etwell research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1258, 1495, 1499, 1609 and 1621 are included under the topic Early Etwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Etwell Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Etwell include Attwill, Attwell, Atwill, Atwell, Atthill, Athill, Atwool, Attwel and many more.

Early Notables of the Etwell family

John Atwell, Rector of Exeter College, Oxford (1495-1499); and Hugh Atwell (died 1621), an English actor, one of the 'Children of her Majesty's Revels,' who is known to have...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Etwell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Etwell migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Etwell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mary Etwell, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Brougham" in 1842
Stephen Etwell, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Brougham" in 1842

Sources +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print