The name Prestwald belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in or near the priest's wood, or in Prestwood, a place-name found in Buckinghamshire and in Sussex. The place-name and the surname are derived from the Old English words preost, which meant priest, and wudu, which meant wood or forest. The surname means "dweller by the priest's wood."
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Early Origins of the Prestwald family
The surname Prestwald was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Prestwood. Little is recorded of their early history before the 13th century but the senior representative of the family was Reginald Prestwood who lived about 1400. The family moved at this point south to Devon where the main stem resided. The family also gave their name to Prestwood in Shropshire and Buckinghamshire. They also branched to Staffordshire.
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Early History of the Prestwald family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Prestwald research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1570, 1608, 1628, 1629, 1655, 1692 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Prestwald History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Prestwald Spelling Variations
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Prestwald include Prestwood, Presswood, Prestwold, Presswold, Prestwald and many more.
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Early Notables of the Prestwald family
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Prestwald Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Prestwald family
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Prestwald were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Roger Presswood who landed in North America in 1700; Joan Prestwood, who settled in Virginia in 1666; and Richard Prestwood, who was on record in Baltimore in 1749..
England
