| ![Show Contents]() Welldone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of WelldoneWhat does the name Welldone mean? Welldone is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Welldone family lived in Northamptonshire, at Weldon. Early Origins of the Welldone familyThe surname Welldone 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 Welldone familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Welldone 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 Welldone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Welldone 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 Weldon, Veldon, Velton and others. Early Notables of the Welldone familyGilbert 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 King James I."; and John Weldon (1676-1736), an English composer.
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, knighted on 24 July 1603, was clerk of the Green Cloth to Queen Elizabeth and James I. His eldest son, Ralph (fl. 1650), was colonel of a...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Welldone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Welldone family to IrelandSome of the Welldone 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. Migration of the Welldone 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 Welldone or a variant listed above were: William Weldon who settled in Virginia in 1619; another William Weldon who settled in Virginia in 1624; Ann Weldon settled in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774 with her children, Andrew, Elizabeth, Thomas, and Ann.
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
- 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)
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