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![Show Contents]() Priestwood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancestors of the bearers of the Priestwood family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found 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." Early Origins of the Priestwood familyThe surname Priestwood 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. Early History of the Priestwood familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Priestwood 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 Priestwood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Priestwood Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Priestwood include Prestwood, Presswood, Prestwold, Presswold, Prestwald and many more. Early Notables of the Priestwood familyAnother 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Priestwood Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Priestwood familySearching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Priestwood or a variant listed above: 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..
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