Show ContentsPheldand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Pheldand is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the fields having derived from the Old English word feld, which meant field. This is a "well-known Lancashire surname." [1]

Early Origins of the Pheldand family

The surname Pheldand was first found in Lancashire at Witton, a township, in the parish, union, and Lower division of the hundred, of Blackburn. "Witton House, an elegant stone edifice, is the seat of Joseph Feilden, Esq.; it is picturesquely situated, and surrounded by a finely-wooded park of 500 acres." [2]

Early History of the Pheldand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pheldand research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1567, 1574, 1592, 1594, 1620, 1784, 1811, 1849, 1875 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Pheldand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pheldand 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 Pheldand family name include Fielden, Feilden, Fieldon, Feildon, Feelden, Feeldon, Pheldon, Phelden and many more.

Early Notables of the Pheldand family

Distinguished members of the family include Randle Feldon or Fielden who died in 1594. John Fielden (1784-1849), M.P. for Oldham, was born 17 Jan. 1784 at Lane Side, Todmorden, where his father, originally a yeoman, had about the time of his birth begun cotton-spinning on a very limited scale. As a boy he worked in his father's factory, and in after years often referred to the exhaustion caused by his daily toil. He was educated sufficiently to become at seventeen a teacher in a Sunday school. His father was a Quaker and a Tory, but Fielden...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pheldand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pheldand 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 Pheldand surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Thomas Fielden settled in New York in 1764; William Fielden arrived in Pennsylvania in 1860.



The Pheldand Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtutis praemuim honor
Motto Translation: Praise is the prize of honor.


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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