Feilds History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Feilds

The name Feilds is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived 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 Feilds 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.

Early Origins of the Feilds family

Early History of the Feilds family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Feilds research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1519, 1520, 1530, 1542, 1546, 1549, 1554, 1558, 1560, 1561, 1574, 1577, 1579, 1582, 1583, 1587, 1588, 1592, 1599, 1606, 1609, 1616, 1620, 1624, 1625, 1633, 1636, 1640, 1676, 1782, 1837 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Feilds History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Feilds Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Feilds are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Feilds include: Field, Feild, Felde and others.

Early Notables of the Feilds family

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, to have been a public instructor...
Another 290 words (21 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Feilds Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Feilds family to Ireland

Some of the Feilds 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.

Migration of the Feilds family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Feilds or a variant listed above: Zacharia Field from Hadleigh in Suffolk settled in Hartford Connecticut in 1639; Robert Field of Yorkshire settled in Flushing, Long Island in 1645; Daniel Field settled in Virginia in 1637.