Walson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Walson family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Walson comes from when the family lived in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Settlements named Woolstone are in Buckinghamshire and Devon. Wolstan is a parish in Warwickshire and Woolston is a hamlet in Somerset. The surname Walson belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Walson family

The surname Walson was first found in Lancashire at Woolstone, a township, in the parish and union of Warrington, hundred of West Derby. Saint Walstan (or Walston) (died 1016) dedicated his life to farming and the care of farm animals and is accordingly the patron saint of farms, farmers, farmhands, ranchers and husbandrymen.

"[Bawburgh, or Babur in Norfolk] is distinguished as the birthplace of St. Walstan; he lived at Taverham, where he died in 1016, and his remains were removed hither, and enshrined in a chapel in the parish church. The resort of pilgrims to visit his shrine greatly enriched the vicar and officiating priests, who, in 1309, rebuilt the church; but the chapel in which the remains of the saint were deposited was demolished in the reign of Henry VIII." 1

Early History of the Walson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walson research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1465, 1535, 1553, 1561, 1570, 1573, 1579, 1594, 1670, 1705 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Walson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walson Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Walson has appeared include Woolston, Woolton, Wolston and others.

Early Notables of the Walson family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Woolton (or Wolton) (1535?-1594), English Bishop of Exeter. He was born at Whalley in Lancashire about 1535 (according to Godwin he was born at Wigan), was the son of John Woolton of Wigan, by his wife Isabella, daughter of John Nowell of Bead Hall, Whalley. "He was admitted student of Brasenose College, Oxford, on...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walson migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Walson arrived in North America very early:

Walson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andrew Walson, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 2
William Walson, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 2

Walson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Walson, who landed in Oxford, Maryland in 1747 2

Walson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Walson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Walson, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Oriental,"

Historic Events for the Walson family +

Flight 191

R Walson (d. 1979), American passenger from Hawthorne, California, USA, who flew aboard American Airlines Flight 191 and died in the crash 3

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Flight 191's Victims - latimes. (Retrieved 2014, April 16) . Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1985-08-04/news/mn-4349_1_fort-lauderdale-area