Contents [hide]

Weldon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Weldon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Weldon is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Weldon family lived in Northamptonshire, at Weldon.

Early Origins of the Weldon family

The surname Weldon was first found in Northamptonshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Weldon, and are conjecturally descended from Robert de Bucy, a Norman Baron who acquired Weldon, an ancient Roman villa, from Olaf, from King William for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

"The Tower, the manorial seat of the ancient family of Welton [in Northumberland], is fast going to decay; there are still remaining in tolerable preservation, two handsome rooms with Oriel windows. The Hall, an ancient mansion which, according to an inscription on the walls, was repaired in 1614, is still occupied." 1

Welton is also a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire which literally means "farmstead by a spring or stream." 2

Early History of the Weldon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weldon research. Another 30 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1352, 1362, 1583, 1603, 1648, 1649, 1650, 1674, 1676, 1713, 1723 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Weldon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weldon Spelling Variations

Anglo-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 Weldon, Veldon, Velton and others.

Early Notables of the Weldon family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Gilbert Welton (or Gilbert de Wilton), Bishop of Carlisle (1352-1362); Sir Anthony Weldon (1583-1648), an English 17th Century courtier and politician, purported author of "The Court and Character of...
Sir Anthony Weldon (d. 1649?), was an "English historical writer, of Swanscombe, Kent, descended from a younger branch of the family of Weltden of Northumberland. His father, Sir Ralph Weldon, knighte...
John Weldon (1676-1736), was an English musician, born at Chichester on 19 Jan. 1676. He was educated at Eton College and Ralph Weldon (1674-1713), was a Benedictine monk, of the ancient family of Wel...

Weldon Ranking

In the United States, the name Weldon is the 2,248^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Weldon family to Ireland

Some of the Weldon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weldon migration to the United States +

Because 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 Weldon name or one of its variants:

Weldon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Weldon who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 4
William Weldon who settled in Virginia in 1624
Elizabeth Weldon who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 as part of the Winthrop Fleet
Robert Weldon, who settled in Massachusetts in 1630 as part of the Winthrop Fleet
Henry Weldon, who arrived in Maryland in 1667 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weldon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Weldon, who landed in New York in 1830 4
James Weldon, aged 22, who arrived in New York in 1854 4
Owen Weldon, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1884 4

Weldon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Weldon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ann Weldon, aged 38 who settled in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774 with her children, Andrew, Elizabeth, Thomas, and Ann
Mr. Patrick Weldon U.E., (Welden) who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785 was a Yeoman 5

Weldon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Patrick Weldon, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
Mr. James Weldon, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Venilia" departing 28th May 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 11th July 1847 but he died on board 6

Weldon migration to Australia +

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

Weldon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Weldon, English convict from Lincoln, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
William Weldon, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mrs. Sarah Ann Weldon, (Watson), (b. 1790), aged 46, English laundress who was convicted in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed with 3 children 2 boys and 1 girl, she died in 1838 9
Mr. Thomas Weldon, English convict who was convicted in Oakham, Rutland, East Midlands, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 10
John Weldon, aged 17, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Telegraph"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weldon 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:

Weldon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Martha Weldon, (b. 1950), aged 26, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Weldon (post 1700) +

Julia Weldon (b. 1983), American film and television actress
Jimmy Weldon (b. 1923), American voice actor, ventriloquist, and former television host
David "Dave" Joseph Weldon (b. 1953), American politician and physician
William C. Weldon (b. 1948), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson
Fay Weldon CBE (1931-2023), English author, essayist and playwright
Walter Weldon (1832-1885), English chemist, journalist, and fashion publisher, eldest son of Reuben Weldon, manufacturer
Sir Anthony William Weldon (b. 1947), 9th Baronet
Sir Thomas Brian Weldon (1905-1979), 8th Baronet
Sir Anthony Edward Wolseley Weldon (1902-1971), 7th Baronet
Sir Anthony Arthur Weldon (1863-1917), 6th Baronet, Colonel in the British Army
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Weldon family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Eric Weldon (b. 1921), Scottish Able Seaman serving for the Royal Navy from Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 12

The Weldon Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Bene factum
Motto Translation: Benefits

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 99)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm