England
IrelandThe Anglo-Saxon name Feild comes from the family having resided in the area that was near a field. This surname is a topographic name and is derived from the Old English word feld, which literally means the pasture or open country. [1]
In this case, the bearer of the surname Feild lived in an area of land that was cleared of forest.
Interestingly, "Field, or De la Felda embraces both English and Norman families. Richard de la Felda is mentioned in Normandy, temp John." [reign 1199-1216] [2] This duality of origin is indeed rare.
The surname Feild was first found in many shires and counties throughout Britain. Some of the earliest records show: Thomas atte Felde in the Writs of Parliament of 1301; William de la Felde in Gloucestershire during reign of King Edward I; and John de la Felde in Herefordshire at about the same time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Linot ate [atte] Feld and William a la Feld in Oxfordshire. [3]
Robert de Felde was listed as a Templar in Gloucestershire in 1185 and Hugo de la Felde was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1188. John del Feld was listed in Suffolk in 1190 and James atte Felde was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. [4]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Feild research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1407, 1620, 1676, 1520, 1587, 1542, 1520, 1530, 1558, 1560, 1609, 1577, 1561, 1616, 1561, 1579, 1624, 1592, 1574, 1636, 1519, 1588, 1574, 1587, 1633, 1587, 1583, 1554, 1606, 1582, 1599, 1640, 1546, 1625, 1546, 1549, 1782 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Feild History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Feild has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Field, Feild, Felde and others.
Distinguished members of the family include Roger Felde (fl. 1407), of Hereford, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Hereford in 1407; Sir James Field of West Harrow; and Edmund Feilde (Field) (1620-1676), an English barrister and politician, son of Thomas Feilde, rector of St Andrew's, Hertford.
John Field or Feild (1520-1587), 'Proto-Copernican' of England, son of Richard Field (d. 1542), was born, as is supposed, at Ardsley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, between 1520 and 1530. "He lived in London at the date of his first ‘Ephemeris,’ and appears, from a remark in a manuscript in the Lambeth Library...
Another 290 words (21 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Feild Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Feild family to IrelandSome of the Feild family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 232 words (17 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Feild migration to the United States +In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Feilds to arrive on North American shores:
Feild migration to New Zealand +
