Early Origins of the Woollven family
The surname Woollven was first found in
Suffolk where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of
Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a
Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all
England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the
Domesday Book,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the lands of Wilfwinus near Bury who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086. Undoubtedly, this family name is a branch of the Walwyns of Brecknockshire. Nevertheless the Woolvins remained in the south east in
Suffolk,
Essex and Sussex.
Early History of the Woollven family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woollven research.
Another 131 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woollven History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Woollven Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Woolven, Woolwin, Woolwine, Wollwyne, Wollwin, Woolfin, Woolvin, Woolvine, Woolin, Woolvern, Woollven, Woolwyn, Woollvin, Wollwyne, Wollwin, Woollwin, Wulwin, Wullwin, Wulwine and many more.
Early Notables of the Woollven family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Woollven Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Woollven family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John Woolam, who arrived in Virginia in 1729; Christiph Woolfin, who came to Maryland in 1763; and Thomas Woolven, who settled in Iowa in 1889.