The ancient roots of the Gladwell family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Gladwell comes from when the family lived in the region of Gledhill in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The name is a habitational name from the Old English gleoda which means "kite" and hyll which means "hill." [1]
The surname Gladwell was first found in Yorkshire near Halifax where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Gledhill from very ancient times. Barkisland in the West Riding of Yorkshire was home to another branch of the family but has since been lost. "Barkisland Hall, the ancient seat of the Gledhill family, is a stately mansion in the old English style of domestic architecture, and has long been the property of the Bolds of Bold Hall, Lancashire. The grammar school here, an ancient structure, was endowed in 1657 with £200 by Mrs. Sarah Gledhill" [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gladwell research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 160 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Gladwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Gladwell has appeared include Gledall, Gledhill, Gladhill, Gladhall, Glanville and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Gladwell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Gladwell arrived in North America very early: