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Historical Overview
Beginning in about the sixth century A.D., a group of Germanic tribes called Saxons began to migrate from theJutland area of Germany, landing primarily in the East Anglia region of England. For about two hundred years successive groups arrived, conquered or neutralized local peoples, and then took up farming and raising of cattle for subsistance. In the late seventh century A.D., through the eighth century A.D. they were joined by kindred peoples called the Angles and the Jutes. Eventually these people came to be known as the Anglo-Saxons. Over the next two hundred years the Anglo-Saxons became the dominant group or tribe, and were the nobility of England. Then in 1066 William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England and defeated the Anglo-Saxon Kin, Harold, at the Battle of Hastings. William quickly overcame all military resistance, and was crowned King of England on Christmas Day, 1066. After his coronation, he and his Norman supporters set about consolidating his rule of England. About twenty years later, in 1086, William, now called the Conqueror, commissioned a kind of perpetual census and inventory of properties, titles and feudal obligations throughout his realm. This was called the Domesday Book, also known as the Doomsday Book. Its main purpose was to keep track of properties for taxation purposes, and to commit to writing the obligations various members of the nobility had to each other and to the crown.
First Written Woolnough Name
In about 1088 the Name "Vlnoth" or possibly "Ulnoth" was recorded in the Domesday Book. This is the earliest written record of the name that evolved to become Woolnough. Vlnoth or Ulnoth is a variation of Wolfnoth or Wolfnod, which means "Wolf Daring" or "Wolf Courage." The term "Nod" comes from Old Norse, and means courage or worthy of note. By 1221 in Suffolk the name had evolved to "Wulnoth." Suffolk is the birthplace of my earliest known ancestor, James Woolner (b. 1758). From 1221 until about 1600 the name Wulnoth evolved, and the most common spelling was Woolnough, although from the late 1600's to the late 1700's the pronounciation also evolved, with a terminal "r" sound becoming common. After about 1700 surnames were becoming increasingly common even among ordinary people, and often surnames were spelled more or less phonetically. A genealogist with the surname Woolnough informed me that it was usually the less intelligent and more illiterate branches of the Woolnough family that spelled their names Woolner (could well be correct, since I can't spell worth a darn).
Other Woolnough Variations
Another closely related name existed at the time of the Wulnoth/Wolfnoth variation, and that is "Wulfwinhawe." It is not certain if this name is simply a variation of Ulnoth or if it developed independently. The meaning of Wulfwinhawe is "the place of the wolf's friend." This is from Saxon: "Win" means friend, and "hawe" or "haugh" means a settlement or location defended with a wooden palisade.
Common Woolnough variations today include: Woolner, Wolnowe, Wulnoughe, Wolfner, Woolnoth.
Anyone have any additional information on the origin of Woolnough?
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