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![Show Contents]() Woolverdon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Woolverdon family name to the British Isles. They lived in Suffolk, at Wolverston. The surname Woolverdon was originally derived from the Old English elements wulf, meaning wolf, and tun, meaning settlement or enclosure. The name was originally Wulkton, and gradually evolved into its current form. Early Origins of the Woolverdon familyThe surname Woolverdon was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Woolverstone. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, 1 a survey initiated by Duke William of Normandy in the year 1086 A.D. after his conquest of England in 1066, Woolverstone was held by a Norman Noble, Robert Gernon, and as was the Norman custom, the second son adopted the name of the manor or village for his surname. At the survey Woolverstone was a village, with a church, 12 beasts, 30 pigs, 100 sheep and 36 goats. The Church was rebuilt by Sir Gilbert Scott in the 19th century. Early History of the Woolverdon familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woolverdon research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1492, 1525, 1570, 1582 and 1592 are included under the topic Early Woolverdon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Woolverdon Spelling VariationsA multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Wolferstan, Wolferstone, Wolverstone, Wolverston, Wolversdon, Wolversden, Wolversdan, Wolferston, Woolferstone, Woolverston and many more. Early Notables of the Woolverdon familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Mary Wolverston, better known as Lady Killigrew (c. 1525-1582), a Suffolk woman who was accused of piracy during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. As the story goes, whenever her husband went to sea, Mary engaged in piracy using the staff of her castle (Arwenack Castle in Cornwall) as...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Woolverdon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Woolverdon familyMany English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Woolverdon or a variant listed above: Benjamin Wolverston and Elizabeth Wolverstone who settled in Barbados with their servants in 1679.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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