Mead family
Mead (Mede, Meade) is the surname of an old English family descended from the Landed gentry, with links to the English aristocracy, who originated from the region of Normandy, France and were predominantly land owners, Knights, merchants, politicians and scholars.
History[edit]
Following the Norman conquest of England, the family settled in Wraxall, Somerset. The first record of the family's presence in England, is of knight Francois De La Mede's (born 1175), marriage to Gwladys verch Rhiwallon, the daughter of a Welsh land. The surname originally being De La Mede, literally meaning "from the meadows", with the earliest records of the surname being De Prato. It has changed throughout time, becoming atte Mede during the 12th and 13th centuries, prior to the modern spelling variations becoming Meade, Mead, and sometimes Meede.
One of the most prominent family members was Philip Mede, a wealthy merchant and later mayor of Bristol, who is also credited as having amassed in a single night a contingent of men to help and support William de Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley during the Battle of Nibley Green.[1]
In the 15th century, prominent members of the family moved to the counties of Buckinghamshire and of Essex, gaining important positions in local government and purchasing various estates. As such, being granted the title's of Lord of the manor in Elmdon, Wenden Lofts and Ledbury.
Through the marriage in 1595 of John Meade, Esq. to a member of the Pennington family, their kin thus became direct descendants and relations of Charlemagne, the House of Percy, the Earls of Surrey, the Earls of Arundel, the Barons Hastings, and the Grosvenor family.
Throughout the 17th and 18th century, more and more people found themselves migrating to the New World. The Mead's were no exception, with members migrating from both England and Ireland. Today with the surname is classed as one of the oldest in the United States.
Notable early family members[edit]
- Philip Mede, MP and mayor of Bristol.
- Sir Thomas Mede, Kt, High Sheriff of Bristol and brother of the latter.
- Isabel Mede.[1]
- Sir Thomas Meade, High Sheriff of Essex.[2]
- Sir John Meade, son of the latter, High Sheriff of Essex in 1632.
- Joseph Mede.
- Matthew Mead.
- Richard Mead.
See also[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Master, G.S. Collections for a Parochial History of Wraxall, 1900, pp. 58–64, "Family of Mede".
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ George Streynsham Master, Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society Northern Branch (1900). Collections for a Parochial History of Wraxall. Harvard University. J.W. Arrowsmith, printer. Search this book on
External links[edit]
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