Weeds History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Weeds

What does the name Weeds mean?

Weeds is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Weeds family lived in Buckinghamshire, on Whielden Lane, Amersham. Today Weedon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district to the north of Aylesbury and south of Hardwick in Buckinghamshire.

Early Origins of the Weeds family

The surname Weeds was first found in Northamptonshire where they held a family seat at two villages called Weedon Beck and Weedon Lois. They held these lands from the Count of Mortain, and were conjecturally descended from Hugh of Grand Mesnil in Normandy. The poet, Dame Edith Sitwell, is buried in the village.

Early rolls give a glimpse of the many spellings in use at the time. Robert de Wedonia was listed in Northamptonshire c. 1160. In Berkshire Ralph de Wedon was listed there in 1207 and the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire included an entry for William Wedon 1396-1397. 1

The root name was found in the Hundredorum Rolls for Dorset in 1273 as William Wede. William le Weed was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 1

Another source notes the Hundredorum Rolls include: John de Wedon, Buckinghamshire; and Ralph de Wedone, Bedfordshire. 2 The Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. includes an entry for Nicholas de Wedon, Nottinghamshire, Henry III-Edward I. 3

Early History of the Weeds family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weeds research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1606, 1608, 1611, 1612, 1734, 1777 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Weeds History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weeds Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Weeds are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Weeds include Weedon, Weeden, Weeton, Weton, Wedon and others.

Early Notables of the Weeds family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Weedon (1734-1793), American soldier during the Revolutionary War from Fredericksburg, Colony of Virginia. He served as a lieutenant under...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Weeds Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Weeds family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Weeds, or a variant listed above: James Weedon settled in Newport, R.I. in 1630; along with William; Isaac Weedon settled in Virginia in 1720; Jane Weedon settled in Maryland in 1720; James Weedon settled in New England in 1755..

The Weeds 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: Credo
Motto Translation: I Believe.

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199â€“1216)