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![Show Contents]() Waddterfall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Waddterfall is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Waddterfall family lived in Valtierville, in the Seine-Inferieur region of France, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1 Early Origins of the Waddterfall familyThe surname Waddterfall was first found in Northampton where they were Lords of the manor of Waterfield, and descended from a Norman noble from Waterville in Normandy. The sire of the family was John de Wateville who was succeeded by Sir Roger de Wateville, and then Sir Geffrey Wateville. William de Waterville, abbot of Peterborough founded a Benedictine nunnery in St. Martin's, Northamptonshire in honour of our Lady St. Mary and St. Michael temp. Henry II. 2 Wilielmus de Watevilla is a witness to a charter of Robert de Mellent to the Abbey of Jumieges, about the time of the Norman survey; and he himself gave to that monastery, with the consent of his wife, the church, fair, and tithes of Croixman, in the Pays de Caux. It is apparent, from the accounts of the Norman Exchequer Rolls, that in 1195, Vatteville was a Royal residence, when the King hunted in the forest of Vatteville. Among the items furnished by its custodian, Robert d'Appeville, are 'four nets to catch wild boars, two tunics for the use of two dog-keepers,'. Three De Watevilles are entered in Domesday: William, who held of the King in Essex and Suffolk, and Percinges (Perching) of William de Warrenne, with two other manors—one of which was Brighton—in Sussex; Robert, who held de capite in Surrey, with five manors in other counties, under Richard de Tonbridge; and Richard, an under-tenant in Surrey." 3 Early History of the Waddterfall familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waddterfall research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1144, 1155, 1158 and 1292 are included under the topic Early Waddterfall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Waddterfall Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Waterfield, Waterfall, Wateville, Waterville and others. Early Notables of the Waddterfall familyAnother 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Waddterfall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Waddterfall familyBecause of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Waddterfall name or one of its variants: Robert and Mary Waterfield settled in Jamaica in 1685; Benjamin Waterfall settled in Philadelphia in 1848.
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
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