Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Cullingworth
Category: 3 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is well under way on a global basis.
Contact: Miss Patricia Hall
I began researching my family in 1985 following the death of my grandmother and finding lots of certificates. I gathered as much information as I could from my mother, a Cullingworth before her marriage, and then continued to search using the facilities of the Family Research section of my local library.
in 2002 I teamed up with Margaret Cullingworth, who first registered the name, and Rita Savage, a South African Cullingworth, and together we have gathered a great deal of data on Cullingworth families worldwide and have helped others with their Cullingworth family history.
Over recent years for personal reasons, Margaret and Rita have discontinued their research but I have continued gathering information as it came available.
Further enquiries are welcome!
CULLINGSWORTH: It is a quirk of human nature that people unfamiliar with the name Cullingworth, even after having it spelled out to them, will often put that 's' into it. However that spelling is only an established variant in some American families who are descended from Cullingworth immigrants from England.
In early English records the surname has been written various ways such as Colynworth, Colyngworth, Culingworth, Cullenworth, Callingworth etc, and the surname has often been transcribed incorrectly in various records. There are numerous Collingworth families in the USA but they do not appear to be connected to us.
The surname derives from the village of Cullingworth near Bingley in West Yorkshire.
Dictionary of British Place-Names: Cullingworth W. Yorks: Colingauuorde 1086 (Domesday Book): 'Enclosure of the family or followers of a man called Cula (Old English personal name + -inga + worth). Several other publications give the same origins. At some point both the village name and the surname became Cullingworth.
The earliest references to the family found so far are in the 1330s when Hugh de Colyngworth appears in Subsidy Rolls. In 1379 Thomas Cullingworth and his wife were paying Poll Tax at Bingley, as were Johannes (John) Cullingworth and his wife. Thomas was a tailor, and this is the earliest record found to an occupation.
The Will of another Hugh Colyngworth of 'Byngley' was written in 1433. He left a pack of hounds to his son John, and the residue after several small bequests was left to his wife Margaret, sons Richard, William and Brian, and daughters Margaret, Joan and Alice.
Three Cullingworth men whose achievements are of particular note are listed below followed by a link to details of their published biographies:
Charles James Cullingworth MD, DCL (Hon.) Durham; LLD (Hon.) Aberdeen; FRCP, MRCS (1841-1908). An eminent Obstetric Physician.
Sydney Cullingworth (1865-unknown). Inspector of Mines, Mount Margaret goldfield, Australia.
Professor John Barry Cullingworth (1929-2005) also known as Barry, world renowned expert in Town and Country planning and a prolific author of books on the subject.
According to a survey by the Office of National Statistics in 2002, there were then about 348 people with the surname Cullingworth in England and Wales.
English Birth Registrations (1837-2011) = 1250
English Marriages (1837-2006) = 897
English Death registrations (1837-2008) = 1029
In the United Kingdom, Yorkshire is still where the majority of Cullingworth families live although a few have moved to other areas.
South Africa: Jeremiah Cullingworth, one of Rita's ancestors, was a printer from Leeds who settled in South Africa with his wife Betsy and family in 1849. A large number of their descendants live there, many with the Cullingworth name.
Canada: Richard Cullingworth (1806-1886) and his wife Elizabeth emigrated from England and had settled in Ontario by 1846. Many descendants still live there.
Australia and New Zealand: Several Cullingworth families have settled there.
USA 1940 Census: Cullingworth: A total of 29 in the 1940 US Census were living in Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, and Chicago. USA 1940 Census: Cullingsworth: A total of 12, all in Virginia
Some of the records from which we have gathered information:
Information has also been gathered from social networks such as Friends Reunited, Genes Reunited, Facebook etc. Many online family trees have also been checked, sometimes being helpful although sadly there are many that are incorrect.
There has also been a useful exchange of information with people who have enquired about their Cullingworth family history although we do not disclose any details of living persons.
CONTACT DETAILS: Please email p1hall (at) one-name.org