Hudswell to Hudgell
Our name is thought to have originated from the small North Yorkshire village of HUDSWELL
A Directory of English Surnames
by P H Reaney & R M Wilson
published by the Oxford University Press:
HUDSWELL - HUDGELL
Geoffrey de Huddeswell
1206 (NR Yorks)
Our earliest records so far from parish registers going back to the early 1600's start with George HUDSWELL born circa 1550 d. 1611who lived in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire.
George married twice. From his first marriage to Joan circa 1580 he had 5 children, this line of the family first living in Sawbridgeworth, then making its way through Birchanger, Stanford Rivers and then into Essex, where Hudgells still live today.
After Joan died in childbirth with their last son Christopher in 1592 George married Alice Smyth in Sawbridgeworth in July 21st 1593 and had two further children Litie and George. George born circa 1600 lived and died in Ipswich and his descendents branch out towards Suffolk, Essex and London. George's son Jonathan appears to have been a wealthy name owning property in Rope Makers Walk Ipswich according to his will. The name Jonathon runs in that line quite a lot. Jonathan born 1791 in Gripping was the licence of The Greyhound Stowmarket married his cousin Temperance Hudgell in 1818 at St Peters Ipswich and had 8 children some of that line taking the name into London and Essex.
The Hudswell name being used between 1592 to 1650. Around 1650 the name changed from Hudswell to Hudgwell and then Hudgewell. Then by 1700 to Hudgell, but old spellings persist in places to mid 1700's the name changes occur at roughly the same time in the Suffolk line.
But this is roughly the time scale:
HUDSWELL 1550 -1652
HUDGEWELL/HUDGWELL 1700 - 1850
HUDGELL 1800 - 2004
HUDGILL 1850 2004
Circa 1650 name changes from HUDSWELL to HUDGWELL (HUDGEWELL) circa 1680 and by 1700 to HUDGELL but old spellings persist in places to mid 1700's in Suffolk on the other HUDSWELL (Sawbridgeworth - Birchanger - Stanford Rivers) line the changed of name occurs roughly at the same times.
The name of Hudswell changed many times during the next few years and by the early 1600's the name had already changed in some instances on parish registers to Hudgell.
My branch of the family come from George's first wife of whom he had 6 children, Robert b.1581, Richard b.1583, Mary b.1585, Jane b.1589 and Christopher in 1592. The family moved through the years but stopping in Sawbridgeworth where descendents still live now:
|Sawbridgeworth Hertfordshire 1581 - 1750|
|Birchanger Hertfordshire 1750 - 1770|
|Stanford Rivers Essex 1770 - 1880|
|Epping Essex 1880 - 2000|
Surname variations can sometimes occur when the names were just recorded as they sounded or were simply miss-spelt by the local registrar. At the same time the person giving the information might not have know the correct spelling of their surname.
It should also be remembered that many people could not write so the census enumerator could only guess at the spelling of the surname. A census form was handed out by the enumerator who would call again to collect it a few days later, and quite often it being the elder child of the house who would fill it in.
If the householder came from a different part of the country, and had a strong regional accent, the spelling might be very different to the way it would have been spelt in the area where he was born. The local dialect could have proven to have been a hindrance in the way names sounded or they could even have been a little deaf.
Typically a person would be born with one spelling, married with another, and buried with a headstone which showed another. I have always found that its most important to always use your imagination.
Don't ever give up on that elusive ancestor he is out there somewhere.
You name it and I think I have found it, here's just a few of the variations I have found to date:
Hudgel Hudgle Hudgeswell Huddel Hudge Udgell Engell Huggill Hudggell Hudgeill Hudjell Hudgile Hudswell Hudggell Hudgel Hudgle Hudgeswell Hudowell Huddel Hudgel Udgell Hugill Engell Hurdgell Hudgol Huggill Hudggel Houdgill Hudgeill Hudgile Hudgol Gudgell Hudyell Trudgell Hardgell
and more recently Udell and Udgle
|If you have any Hudgell family photos, diaries, documents etc that you think would help build up the Hudgell information? I would love to include them in this website please contact me|
Site Content © 2002 - Present Pamela L. Bishop. All rights reserved
Site last updated 17/04/2011 21:16