Fulwer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Anglo-Saxon name Fulwer comes from when its first bearer worked as a person who worked as a fuller. 1 During medieval times the work of the fuller was to wash yardage, by scouring and thickening the cloth for the purpose of pre-shrinking. The fuller would do this by beating and trampling the raw cloth while it was soaking in the water.

Early Origins of the Fulwer family

The surname Fulwer was first found in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire, where Roger Fuler was listed there in 1219. As an occupational name, widespread listings in various counties and shires are to be expected. From this first listing, we found Reginald fullere in Suffolk in 1221, William le Fulur in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1221 and Simon le Voller in Oxfordshire in 1316. The author notes that the name was chiefly found in "southern and eastern England and that the French form 'fuller' occurs in the whole of England." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Gilbert le Fuller in Hertfordshire and Ambrose le Fullur in Shropshire. 3

Years later and much further to the north in Scotland, Andrew Fullo was a tenant in Mikilbrekauch, and John Fullo was a tenant in Balgirdane, 1376. Thomas Fullo was burgees of Edinburgh in 1386. 4

The famed Alfred Carl Fuller (1885-1973), the original "Fuller Brush Man," was born in Welsford, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada and moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1903 at the age of 18. Three years later he started the Fuller Brush Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

Early History of the Fulwer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fulwer research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1376, 1386, 1557, 1580, 1583, 1606, 1608, 1626, 1633, 1635, 1637, 1640, 1654, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1667, 1670, 1672, 1675, 1680, 1687, 1691, 1700, 1701, 1704, 1706 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Fulwer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fulwer Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Fulwer include Fuller, Fullere, Fullar, Fullo and others.

Early Notables of the Fulwer family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Samuel Fuller (baptized 1580-1633), an English doctor and church deacon from Norfolk who sailed about the Mayflower to colonize North America; William Fuller (c. 1580-1659), dean of Ely and later dean of Durham, during the early 1640s he got into serious trouble with parishioners and Parliament; Isaac Fuller...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fulwer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fulwer family to Ireland

Some of the Fulwer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 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 Fulwer family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Fulwer or a variant listed above: Edward Fuller who landed in Massachusetts in 1620; Alex Fuller settled in Virginia in 1643; with Alice; followed by Anne in 1670; Bartholomew Fuller settled in Maryland in 1733.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)