Birth record LDS: C114864. Marriage record GROS: 626/A2 0012.
Little is known about George and his wife Beatrix except they appear to have been domiciled in the Edinburgh, Midlothian area, c1565, based on available birth records found for their children. This section also contains some general historical Waddell information.
The image displayed is a reputed Waddell "Coat of Arms". If it is genuine, then the identity of
the Waddell rightfully entitled to lay claim to it is lost in antiquity. The oldest written record
so far uncovered for anyone who MIGHT be eligible, is for a Scottish knight, Sir Thomas Wedalle
(note the spelling), who held a "writ of passage" to the Port of London in 1372. Whether or not
he or one of his descendants is or was the legitimate claimant will perhaps never be determined.
Certainly at this time, there is no known evidence or information to tie Sir Thomas to either this
part of the Waddell line or to the reputed Coat of Arms. "Burks General Armory" lists three
Waddell Coats of Arms, (two English and one Scottish), without any further information. This
particular "Coat" could therefore belong to any of the three -- or none of them -- so that part of
the mystery endures. The Latin Motto associated with this Coat is: "ORNA VERUM" and
translates into English as: "ADORN THE TRUTH". (This somehow does not seem like a very
inspiring motto considering today's generally accepted concept of "adorning the truth").Historically, it's worth noting that surnames as they are known today, were not in general use prior to the 1200's. "Black's Book of Scottish Surnames" considers the surname "Waddell" (in numerous variant spellings), to have originated in Scotland. In support of this, the earliest references so far found in English and Irish surname directories are for dates much later than the earliest Waddell listings in "Black's". One report considers them to be descendents of the Vikings who landed in the Orkney Islands and Northern Scotland where they settled around 870 under their king, Stirgud the Stout, and certainly the Norse did maintain fishing settlements in northern Scotland for close to 400 years until their influence waned after being defeated at the battle of Largs in 1263. Over this period of time, their language, customs -- and progeny -- undoubtedly had some influence on the local population. There are however, other reports including one based on Beryl Platts heraldry research, which claim Waddell descendents originated from Flemish noblemen who settled first in the Huntingdon/Bedford/Northamptonshire area of England, (and are recorded in the Domesday records), and who then later moved up to Scotland. There is also an important but now believed extinct branch which lived in the Livingston area of Midlothian for about 300 years - (the Waddell's of Holehouseburn, Crofthead and Stoneyburn) - with many of them buried in the Whitburn churchyard.
Certainly a major factor causing the many known WRITTEN variances of ANY surname in this
or any other family Report, undoubtedly had to be the limited education and literary skills of the
individual clerks when formal written records first started to be compiled.Clerks had to contend with the phonetics of local dialects and accents which created numerous "sounds like" spellings for them to interpret and transcribe. As written records commenced, then so did the surname variations. Individuals would have been known verbally to the local clerk who then had to decide to the best of his ability just how the name should be spelled. It should also be noted this spelling problem was not unique to any one surname, as individuals were then usually identified only by their spoken "given" or "Christian" names. If necessary, the location in which they lived would often be added to differentiate between two or more individuals with the same given name. Sometimes their trade or other suffix was also added for additional identification.
Later, when written surnames came into general use, the previously accepted verbal name now commonly became the "official" surname with even more variations occurring as the new written records gradually evolved. Until recent times, these spelling variations were a very common occurrence, sometimes even in the same family unit for birth, marriage and death entries and this Report details instances of 3 or more consecutive generations listed with different surname spellings. Early census records were often also similarly affected by unintentional spelling errors or mis-interpretations of the phonetics of verbal surnames as they were recorded. All of these factors have combined to make some family relationships in this Report very difficult to sort out and confirm. Where these situations were knowingly encountered, the "Notes" sections of appropriate files have been referenced accordingly.
So while unanswered questions certainly remain about the spelling and genetic origin of the line, historians essentially consider the WRITTEN Waddell surname to be of a 'location' or 'place name' origin and first associated with "Wedale" in the Parish of Stow in the Southern Uplands. The root sources of "Wedale" itself, are also lost in antiquity, with possibly the most likely explanation being an Anglicized version of old English and Norse words used to describe a location of "Wood Valley", (with 'wood' being 'woad' a popular plant of the time which produced a vibrant indigo dye used in the middle ages, and the word 'dale' or valley). When put together and written out with the limited literary and language skills of the times it produced "Wedale". Indeed, the first known written record identifying a bearer of the name, was for an Adam de Wedale, (literally "Adam from Wood Valley"), who reportedly was a Norman who settled in Stow after first holding lands in England. In 1202, records show Adam was referred to as an "outlaw of the Kings of scots land", (no information found as to why he had acquired this distinction). By 1296 however, the name appears to have gained acceptance and Lawrence de Wedale of Roxburghshire rendered homage to King Edward 1 of England. Simon Wedale was Abbot of Holyrood palace from 1296 to 1327, later becoming Bishop of Galloway in the west. The knighted Sir Thomas Waddell (Wedalle) was head of the household in 1372 and this part of the line continued to have vast interests in England through the 1600's and branched south to Beach House, in Walmer, Kent about this time. Another branch of the family was known to have been brewers at Liff, Angus, for over 200 years. The Waddell name in variant spellings is also prominently recorded in numerous other references in England and Scotland throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
The 17th century produced a major period of Scottish immigration as a result of various social, political and economic conditions. A number of Waddell families re-settled in Ireland between 1700 and 1800, establishing the name there. In the same time frame, other branches immigrated to North America. A family headed by a James Waddell settled in Maine in 1745 and another James Waddell family went to New Brunswick around 1820 where their descendants are still prominent today. Other Waddell branches arrived in Ontario and Nova Scotia about the same time. A William Waddell settled in San Francisco in 1852, and later partnered with Russell and Majors to form the famed "Pony Express" in 1860. The sporting world produced other well-known Waddells including baseball's "hall-of-famer" George Edward "Rube" Waddell and Scotland's renowned footballer "Willie" Waddell. During the revolutionary war in America against the British, there were Waddells who fought on both sides. After the war, some families wishing to retain British loyalties now immigrated to Canada, mainly to Ontario. If they registered as legitimate "United Empire Loyalists" they became eligible for land grants and other resettlement assistance.
In the later war between the North and the South in the USA, there were again Waddells on both sides, although predominately with the South or Confederate forces. Among them was James Iredale Waddell from North Carolina, a graduate of the naval academy at Annapolis, who later resigned his commission with the Federal forces to join the Confederate navy and Captain the warship "Shenandoah". Certainly many individuals influenced the course of the American Civil War, but perhaps none so uniquely as this man who became one of the most successful Confederate commerce raiders. He circumnavigated the globe as he roamed the oceans from England to Australia and at one point he even attacked San Francisco. Throughout the war he captured or destroyed many vessels to become a well-known "Privateer" -- (some considered him to be a pirate) -- with his exploits understandably revered by the Southern side and reviled in the North. The modern-day US navy even named a guided-missile destroyer after him, (the "US WADDELL"), which saw service during the Vietnam war.
The surname spelling is likely phonetic, possibly "Creighton".
Birth date and location from an LDS submitted entry. Marriage record LDS: M114796.
Birth date and location from an LDS submitted entry.
Birth record LDS submitted entry.
The photo shown is reputed to be the Maclean Family Crest. No information
is currently available to connect the emblem with this section of the family line
other than by surname.
Birth record LDS submited entry.