Wignell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Wignell

What does the name Wignell mean?

The history of the Wignell family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Norfolk, at Wiggenhall.

Early Origins of the Wignell family

The surname Wignell was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat from about 1066, where they were conjecturally descended from Ralph Baynard, a Norman noble, who held the lands of Wiggenhall in Norfolk.

Early History of the Wignell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wignell research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wignell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wignell Spelling Variations

Anglo-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 Wignall, Wignoll, Wignull, Wiggenhall and others.

Early Notables of the Wignell family

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

Wignell migration to the United States +

For 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 Wignell or a variant listed above were:

Wignell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Wignell, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 1
William Wignell, who landed in Maryland in 1659 1

Wignell migration to Australia +

Wignell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Wignell, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Surge" 2

Sources +

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)
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SURGE 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/surge1852.shtml