Show ContentsWulversdant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Wulversdant is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wulversdant family lived in Suffolk, at Wolverston. The surname Wulversdant 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 Wulversdant family

The surname Wulversdant 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 Wulversdant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wulversdant research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1492, 1525, 1570, 1582 and 1592 are included under the topic Early Wulversdant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wulversdant 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 Wolferstan, Wolferstone, Wolverstone, Wolverston, Wolversdon, Wolversden, Wolversdan, Wolferston, Woolferstone, Woolverston and many more.

Early Notables of the Wulversdant family

Outstanding 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 Wulversdant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wulversdant family

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 Wulversdant or a variant listed above were: Benjamin Wolverston and Elizabeth Wolverstone who settled in Barbados with their servants in 1679.



  1. 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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