Winseloe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Winseloe belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in Buckinghamshire. The family name Winseloe is derived from the Old English personal name Wine, meaning friend, and the Old English word hlaw, meaning hill or mound, and means that the original bearer of the name lived near a hill owned by someone name Wine.1

Early Origins of the Winseloe family

The surname Winseloe was first found in Buckinghamshire, at Winslow, today a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Cottesloe with a population today of about 4,500. The town dates back to 795, when it was listed as Wineshlauu as land given by King Offa to the Abbey of St. Alban's. Years later in the Domesday Book, it was listed as Weneslai, land held by the Bishop of Lisieux and at that time was in the Murley Hundred and the manor there belonged to the Church of St. Alban. 2

Apart from being the source of this distinguished family's heritage, the market-town and parish of Winslow was well known in the 1800s for another reason which would be quite out of place today. "The white poppy was so successfully grown here, in 1821, as to produce 60lb. of opium, worth at least £75, from four acres, and 143lb. in the next year from eleven acres; for which, on both occasions, the prize of 30 guineas was awarded by the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce." 3

Early History of the Winseloe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winseloe research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1607, 1620, 1633, 1636, 1644, 1655 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Winseloe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winseloe Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Winseloe include Winslow, Winselow, Winsloe and others.

Early Notables of the Winseloe family

Notables of the family at this time include Edward Winslow (1595-1655), an English Pilgrim leader on the Mayflower who served as the 3rd, 6th and 10th Governor of Plymouth Colony in 1633, 1636, and finally in 1644. Born at Droitwich, near Worcester, he was the grandson of Kenelm Winslow (d. 1607) of Kempsey. "In July 1620, with his wife and three servants, he sailed from Delft Haven in the Speedwell to...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winseloe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Winseloe family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Winseloe were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Sarah Winsloe who settled in Virginia in 1685; Edward Winslow who settled in Hingham Massachusetts in 1633; Edward Winslow settled in Maine in 1622; Gilbert Winslow settled in Plymouth Massachusetts in 1620.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.