Maudsley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Maudsley

What does the name Maudsley mean?

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Maudsley come from when the family resided in the settlement of Mawdesley in the county of Lancashire. 1 2 The surname Maudsley belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Maudsley family

The surname Maudsley was first found in Lancashire at Mawdesley, a township, in the parish of Croston, union of Chorley, hundred of Leyland. "Adam de Mawdesley was a ward of the duchy of Lancaster in the reign of Edward III.; Robert Mawdesley, the last of this ancient family, was living at Mawdesley Hall about 1760. " 3

"The Mawdesleys of Mawdesley possessed the demesnes of Mawdesley from the 12th to the 17th century (B.), and the name still occurs there." 4 Thomas de Maudesley was listed in the Lancashire Fines of 1398. 5

William de Maudesley was listed in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1401 and Robert Mawdesley was listed as a Freeman or York in 1476. 6

Early History of the Maudsley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maudsley research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Maudsley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maudsley Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Maudsley has been recorded under many different variations, including Mawdesley, Maudesley, Maudsley and others.

Early Notables of the Maudsley family

More information is included under the topic Early Maudsley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maudsley migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Maudsley or a variant listed above:

Maudsley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Henry Maudsley, aged 24, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell" 7
Henry Maudsley, who arrived in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1638 8
John Maudsley, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1638 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Maudsley (post 1700) +

Ronald Harling "Ron" Maudsley (1918-1981), English professor of law
Tony Maudsley (b. 1968), English film actor, best known for his role in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Henry Maudsley (1835-1918), English psychiatrist, eponym of Maudsley Hospital in London and in the annual Maudsley Lecture of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Sources +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)