Gellard History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsGellard is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from the Norman given name Willard. This name is derived from the Germanic roots will, meaning desire, and heard, meaning strong or hard. 1 Early Origins of the Gellard familyThe surname Gellard was first found in east Kent and Sussex where they were Lords of the Manor of Eastbourne. The family were originally named Villiard, or Guillarrt, and were from Caen in Normandy in pre Conquest times. 2 In the Domesday Book they are recorded variously as Wielardus, Wilardus, and Wlward. 3 4 Further speculation on the origin of this distinguished family name of the U.S.A., can be deduced from the Willard Memoir by Joseph Willard published in Boston Mass. in 1858. 4 Woollard is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley in East Somerset. Some of the first records of the name include: Wihelardus de Trophil who was listed in the History of Northumberland in 1168 and Wilard de Pikeeden who was listed in the same source in 1227. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Emayn Wylard. William Willarde was listed in Kent in 1602 and Nicholas Willard from Kent married Jane Coumber at Canterbury in 1690. 5 Early History of the Gellard familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gellard research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1617, 1630, 1634, 1640, 1643, 1672, 1676, 1692, 1701 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Gellard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gellard Spelling VariationsBefore the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Gellard family name include Willard, Wilard, Viliard, Villiard, Wielard, Willardby, Willardsey, Willardsham, Willardstone and many more. Early Notables of the Gellard familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Simon Willard (1605-1676), English settler to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1634, he was one of the thirteen heads of families in Concord that signed Reverend Peter Bulkeley's 1643 petition to Governor John Endecott in support of Ambrose Martin...
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Gellard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
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