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![Show Contents]() Wedgewude History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The Wedgewude name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Wedgwood, a township in Staffordshire. The place-name Wedgwood is derived from the Old English elements wæthe, whcih means marsh or fen, and wuda, which means wood. The place-name taken as a whole means "place at the marshy wood." The township no longer exists. Early Origins of the Wedgewude familyThe surname Wedgewude was first found in Staffordshire at Wedgwood, a township, in the parish of Wolstanton, union of Wolstanton and Burslem, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill. "This township, which comprises 431 acres of arable land, is supposed to have been originally the residence of the Wedgwood family, several of whom have been eminent for their improvements in the earthenware and porcelain manufacture." 1 Josiah Wedgwood founded the village of Eturia, again in Staffordshire. "The classical name of this place was given to it by its late celebrated founder, Josiah Wedgwood, who established here the well-known Wedgwood-ware potteries, in 1769, and called the village after the seat of the ancient fictile art in Italy, Etruria, where a colony of Phœnician potters settled about 1000 years before the birth of Christ." 1 Wedgwood "erected an entire village for his workmen and dependants, and a mansion on a neighbouring eminence for his own residence." 1 Early History of the Wedgewude familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wedgewude research. Another 248 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1470, 1576, 1588, 1612, 1637, 1730 and 1795 are included under the topic Early Wedgewude History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Wedgewude Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Wedgewude has undergone many spelling variations, including Wedgewoode, Wedgewood, Wedgewode, Wegewode, Wegewood and many more. Early Notables of the Wedgewude familyMore information is included under the topic Early Wedgewude Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Wedgewude familyTo escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. 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 Wedgewude were among those contributors: John Wedgewood who settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1723.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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