Watding History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Watding family name to the British Isles. They lived in Yorkshire, at Wadding. Early Origins of the Watding familyThe surname Watding was first found in Yorkshire where they are "perhaps the patronymical form of the Anglo-Saxon Wade." 1 Early History of the Watding familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Watding research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086, 1581, 1588, 1591, 1644 and 1657 are included under the topic Early Watding History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Watding Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Wadding, Wadden, Waddyng, Wading and others. Early Notables of the Watding familyMore information is included under the topic Early Watding Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Watding family to IrelandSome of the Watding family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Watding familyFor many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Watding or a variant listed above were: Margaret Wadden from County Wexford who settled in St. John's Newfoundland in 1878; John Wadden settled in Heart's Content in Newfoundland in 1871; his name was also spelled Waddon.
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