Contents [hide]

Weld History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Weld History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Weld family

The surname Weld was first found in Cheshire in the lands and manor of Eaton in that county. They were descended from Edric, surnamed Stratton or Sylvaticus, created Duke of Mercia by Ethelred, King of England in 1003, but put to death 14 years later by King Canute. Edric Wild or Weld, his descendant in 1066, was a person of great power in the north west of England. He was succeeded by another Edric, William, John, William and Edward, living 1290. William Weld, Sheriff of London in 1352 married Anne Wettenhall and was seated at Eaton in Cheshire. 1

Looking further south, early records of the family were found in Dorset. The " Abbreviatio Placitorum," fol. 283, A. D. 1290, lists John de Welda and Matilda his wife, in Essex, recovered damages in a suit. Much later, Humphry Weld, of East Barnet, Herts, was Lord Mayor of London in 1610. "Several members of the family raised themselves by success in the legal profession; amongst whom we may mention Sir John Weld, knight, of Arnolds, in the parish of Edmonton, brother of the said Lord Mayor. He built and endowed Southgate Chapel in that parish, which was consecrated by Dr. King, bishop of London, in 1615. According to Lysons, the learned knight died in 1622." 2

This may be the same Humphrey Weld who in 1653 purchased a rash of estates: "The manor of Melbury Abbesse and Kingsdon, com. Dorset and Somerset for £8,732 on April 1st; "The manor of Fountmill, co. Dorset" for £3,690 on April 27th; and "The manor of Sembley, co. Wiltshire", The manor of Bridsey, co. Wiltshire", and "The manor of Tollard Royal, in co. Dorset and Wilts" for a total of £6,000. 2

In Yorkshire, the first record was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 where Willelmus del Weld was listed at that time as holding lands there. 3

Early History of the Weld family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weld research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1599, 1602, 1609, 1610, 1614, 1632, 1641, 1649, 1656 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Weld History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weld Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Weld, Welde, Weilde, Weldee and others.

Early Notables of the Weld family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Weld, Welde or Wells (1590?-1662), English Puritan divine, born in the south of England about 1590, and educated at Cambridge. "He emigrated to New England, arriving at Boston on 5 June 1632. I...
Sir Humphry Weld (died 1610), was Lord Mayor of London in 1609. His grandson, another Humphry Weld purchased Lulworth Castle, Dorset in 1641

Weld migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Weld Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Daniel, Edmund, John, Joseph, Samual, Thomas, and Margeret Weld all, who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1632
Captain Joseph Weld (1599-1646), who arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1632, progenitor of the famous Welds of Boston 4
Thomas Weld, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 4
John Weld, who landed in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1638 4
Daniel Weld, who landed in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1641 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Weld Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Weld, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 4

Weld migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Weld Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Weld, English convict from Knutsford, Cheshire, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5

Weld migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Weld Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John E. Weld, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wild Duck" in 1869

Contemporary Notables of the name Weld (post 1700) +

William Gordon Weld (1775-1825), American shipmaster and ship owner
William Fletcher Weld (1800-1881), American shipping magnate
George Walker Weld (1840-1905), American founding member of the Boston Athletic Association and financier of the Weld Boathouse
Susan Ker "Tuesday" Weld (b. 1943), American Golden Globe, Academy Award, BAFTA and Emmy Award winning actress
Thomas Weld (1773-1837), English Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal, eldest son of Thomas Weld of Lullworth Castle, Dorset
Charles Richard Weld (1813-1869), English historian of the Royal Society, born at Windsor in August 1813, the son of Isaac Weld (d. 1824) of Dublin
Joseph Weld (1777-1863), English aristocrat and boat builder who built "The Arrow", which took part in the first America's Cup race in 1851
Thomas Weld of Lulworth Castle (1750-1810), English philanthropist who gave Stonyhurst College with 30 acres to exiled Jesuits
William Floyd Weld (b. 1945), American politician, Republican Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997
Isaac Weld (1774-1856), Irish topographical writer, born in Fleet Street, Dublin
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Weld Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nil sine numine
Motto Translation: Nothing without the Deity.

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Oliver, George, Collections Illustrating the History of the Catholic Religion in the Counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wilts, and Gloucester London: Charles Dolman, 61, New Bond Street, 1857. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843