Show ContentsWieldon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Wieldon is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wieldon family lived in Lancashire, at the manor of Wheelton. Other records show "Great and Little Weldon are parishes in co. Northampton" [1] and "Weldon, [having] two parishes in the Diocese of Peterborough, Norfolk." [2]

Early Origins of the Wieldon family

The surname Wieldon was first found in Lancashire at Wheelton, a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley which dates back to c. 1160 when it was listed as Weltona. The place name literally means "farmstead with a water-wheel," from the Old English "hweol" + "tun." [3]

The earliest record of the name was fond during the reign of Henry III, or perhaps earlier, where Henry de Quelton granted Sir Adam de Hocton, for the annual rent of one barbed arrow, or four marks, at Michaelmas, all his lands in the town of "Quelton." [4]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Geoffrey de Weldone, Huntingdonshire; Lucas de Weldon, Lincolnshire; and Hugh de Weledon, Lincolnshire. [2]

"The Whieldons or Wheeldons of Staffordshire are mostly gathered together in the district of Stoke-on-Trent. Francis Wheeldon, gent., was an opulent farmer of Hounhill, Hanbury, in the latter half of last century. " [5]

Early History of the Wieldon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wieldon research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1596, 1600, 1787 and 1839 are included under the topic Early Wieldon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wieldon 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 Whieldon, Wheeldon, Wheelton, Whielton, Weelton, Weeldon, Wieldon, Weildon, Weilton, Wheildon, Whilldon, Whildon, Whilden and many more.

Early Notables of the Wieldon family

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

Migration of the Wieldon family

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 Wieldon name or one of its variants: W. Whilldin, who sailed to New York in 1824.



The Wieldon 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: Virtus praestantior auro
Motto Translation: Virtue is more excellent than gold.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.


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