Widdall Family History

From Woodhill (in Bury Lancs) recorded as Wyddell in 1563 and probably derives from Old English wīd ‘wide’ + Old English halh ‘a piece of low-lying land by a river, a haugh’. Woodhill lies in a bend of the R. Irwell. In ER Yorks, perhaps alternatively, a variant of the Scottish surname Weddell (see Waddell) as suggested in Redmonds Dictionary of Yorks Surnames citing William Widdaille or Weddell 1576-81 in York Registry Wills (Kingston upon Hull).

Weddell is well evidenced in York and nearby places in ER Yorks from the late 14th century. However, Widdell in ER Yorks could be the Lancs name by migration possibly confused with Weddell. See also (3) which could theoretically account for the name in ER Yorks. Perhaps from a lost or unidentified place in Lincs called Wydale or possibly from Wydale in Brompton or Widdale in Aysgarth, both in NR Yorks and probably composed with Middle English with (Old Scandinavian viðr) ‘wood’ + Middle English dal (Old Scandinavian dalr) ‘valley’.

However, there is no evidence that these places gave rise to a surname. The Lincs name could alternatively belong with (1) or (2) by migration.