Waddintum History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Waddintum family, who lived in Yorkshire, at Wadding. This was a local name, derived from the place-name Wadding. In general, local names were adopted by families when they moved to another area. This distinguished them from other people that had the same name. As people began moving closer together, it became more important to be able to identify people from one another.

Early Origins of the Waddintum family

The surname Waddintum was first found in Yorkshire where they were Lords of the manor of Waddington, a village and parish near Clitheroe. "It is natural to find the name crossing the border into Lancashire. This surname has ramified very strongly in the Northern counties." 1 Indeed another source claims the family did in fact originate in Lancashire: "The Waddingtons, who are also established in Lancashire, have their principal home in the West Riding, where occur a village and a seat of the name." 2

One of the first records of the family was Nicholas de Waddington, rector of the church of St. Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire in 1351. 3 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Laurencius de Wadyngton; and Johannes de Wadyngton. 1

Early History of the Waddintum family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waddintum research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1670, 1671, 1687, 1724 and 1731 are included under the topic Early Waddintum History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waddintum Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Waddintum were recorded, including Waddington, Waddleton, Waddingworth and others.

Early Notables of the Waddintum family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edward Waddington (1670?-1731), English divine, Bishop of Chichester, born in London in 1670 or 1671. "He was educated at Eton College, and was admitted a scholar of King's College, Cambridge, on 30 June 1687. On 11 Oct. 1724 he was...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waddintum Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Waddintum family to Ireland

Some of the Waddintum family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Waddintum family

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Waddintum arrived in North America very early: Hannah Waddington who settled in Virginia in 1635; John Waddleton settled in St. John's Newfoundland in 1789; Ralph Waddington settled in Virginia in 1653.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].