Show ContentsInwude History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Inwude is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Intwood, a parish, in the union of Henstead, hundred of Humbleyard, east division of Norfolk. 1 2

The place name literally means "dweller at the Inn-Wood [Middle English in, a lodging, dwelling; Old English inn, a house + Middle English mode, Old English wudu, a wood] " 3 4

Early Origins of the Inwude family

The surname Inwude was first found in Norfolk but we must look to Somerset to find the first record of the family. For it is there that Adam Inwod, was listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5 Again in Somerset, we found Thomas de Inwode recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 4

The Inward variant proves to be interesting. While the name are related as proven by a late entry of "Sarah Inward, daughter of Richard Inwood, died in 1685. Inward and Inwood have been confused." 4 This variant may have a different origin. First of all, the earliest record was that of Roger de Ynewrde in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1202 and secondly, this variant may originate in Inworth, Essex which dates back to 1206 when it was known as Inewrth. 6

How and when the names became interchangeable, we do not know.

Early History of the Inwude family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Inwude research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1771, 1798, 1819, 1821, 1822, 1832, 1835, 1840 and 1843 are included under the topic Early Inwude History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Inwude Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Inwude family name include Inwood, Intwood, Inward and others.

Early Notables of the Inwude family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Inwood (1771?-1843), architect and surveyor, "born about 1771 at Caen Wood, Highgate, where his father, Daniel Inwood, was bailiff to Lord Mansfield. He was brought up as an architect and surveyor, and became steward to Lord Colchester and practised as a surveyor. He designed numerous mansions, villas, barracks, warehouses, &c. In 1821 he planned the new galleries for St. John's Church, Westminster, and in 1832-3 designed, with the assistance of his second son, Charles Frederick Inwood (see below), the new Westminster Hospital. His best-known work is...
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Inwude Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Inwude family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Inwude surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Inwood settled in Providence in 1779.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook