Contents [hide]

Wardle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Wardle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

When the ancestors of the Wardle family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Cheshire, at the village of Wardle.

Early Origins of the Wardle family

The surname Wardle was first found in Cheshire at Wardle, a township, in the parish of Bunbury, union of Nantwich, first division of the hundred of Eddisbury. 1 The township dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Warhelle. 2 By 1184, the village was known as Wardle. Literally the place name means "watch or look-out hill," from the Old English words "weard" + "hyll." 3 There is also a village named Wardle in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester and this village dates back to c. 1193 when it was first listed as Wardhul. Some of the first records of the family appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, specifically: Richard de Wardle in Lincolnshire; and Nicholas de Werdhyl in Lancashire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Johannes de Wardale. 4 Up in Scotland, the name was "of local origin, probably from Wartle in the parish of Lumphanan" 5 in Aberdeen. This latter reference was in 1696, hundreds of years after the aforementioned English listings.

Early History of the Wardle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wardle research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1683, 1684 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Wardle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wardle Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Wardle have been found, including Wardle, Wardell and others.

Early Notables of the Wardle family

More information is included under the topic Early Wardle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wardle Ranking

In the United States, the name Wardle is the 13,612^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Wardle is ranked the 854^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,930 people with that name. 7

Wardle migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Wardle were among those contributors:

Wardle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Math Wardle, who landed in Virginia in 1657 8
William Wardle, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1685 8

Wardle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Wardle, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
James Wardle, who landed in New York in 1815 8
Jeremiah Wardle, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 8
Thomas Wardle, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1818
Catharine Wardle, aged 23, who landed in New York in 1862 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wardle migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wardle Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Cornelius Wardle U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 9
Mr. Michael Wardle U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 9

Wardle migration to Australia +

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

Wardle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Wardle, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancastershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Robert Wardle, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1861 11
Mr. Henry Wardle, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Michael Wardle, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 13
Mary Wardle, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wardle migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Wardle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Emma Wardle, aged 18, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stately" in 1851
Louisa Sarah Wardle, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stately" in 1851
Miss Emma Wardle, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Stately" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 1st June 1851 14
Julia Wardle, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S.S. Arawa" in 1884
Julia Wardle, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arawa" in 1884
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wardle migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15

Wardle Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Christopher Wardle who settled in Barbados in 1679 with his servants
Francis Wardle, aged 22, who landed in Jamaica in 1683 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Wardle (post 1700) +

Brian Wardle (b. 1979), American college basketball coach, the current men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Brian Wardle (b. 1969), American academic, Boeing Assistant Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Curtis Ray Wardle (b. 1960), American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1984 to 1985
John Irving Wardle (1929-2023), English theatre critic and author who wrote about theatre for The Observer from 1959 to 1963, for The Times from 1963 to 1989, and for The Independent on Sunday from 1989 to 1995
Charles Frederick Wardle (b. 1939), English politician, Member of Parliament for Bexhill and Battle (1983-2001)
Edwin Wardle (b. 1870), English footballer who played for Notts County from 1888 to 1889
William "Billy" Wardle (1918-1989), English professional footballer who played from 1936 to 1957
Joe Wardle (b. 1991), English professional rugby league player
Rear Admiral Thomas Erskine Wardle CB DSO (1877-1944), English senior officer in the Royal Navy
John Joseph Wardle (b. 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Wardle family +

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Cissie Wardle, English 3rd Class passenger residing in Adamsdale, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 16

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIR CHARLES FORBES (originally Charles Forbes) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839SirCharlesForbes.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/