Map of England showing where the Tilden arms are recorded
The Tilden arms were recorded in Kent, c. 1620.
Kent sits between London and the short crossing to Europe, and the trade passing through made it wealthy. Merchant families bought land with that money, and it was landowners who took coats of arms.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in England in this period.
James VI and I
Sovereign of the period
James VI and I
1603–1625
Reigning in England when the Tilden arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in England
English heraldry allowed arms to be shared by all legitimate descendants of the original owner. These symbols were treated as personal property that moved through the generations to all children. While the eldest son kept the original design, other family members could use the same shield without needing to change it or register their own unique versions.
Granting authority
The College of Arms in London has regulated the use of coats of arms throughout England and Wales since 1484.
How they got arms
Families typically obtained their coats of arms through a formal grant from the Crown or by proving their ancient right to them.
Where arms were recorded
All official coats of arms are recorded in the registers kept at the College of Arms, which date back to the fifteenth century.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Kent.
Origin & History of the Tilden Family in England
The Tilden family name has deep roots in the county of Kent, England, where the family was well-established by the early seventeenth century. The name is considered a locative surname, which means it likely originated from a specific place or a geographic feature near where the first bearers lived. In Old English, the name is thought to be derived from a combination of words meaning a tilled valley or a cultivated field. By 1620, members of the Tilden family were prominent residents in the town of Tenterden. Many of these individuals were part of the Great Migration, choosing to leave their ancestral home in Kent to seek new opportunities in the American colonies. Their early presence in Kent is documented through local parish records, which track their births, marriages, and daily lives in the English countryside before their departure for the New World.
Tilden Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
Tyl
Old English term for a cultivated field or valley
This name
TildenDerived from a place name referring to a valley where crops are grown
also spelled
Tilden
Tyldin
Tildin
Tyldon
Documented Sources
Sir Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, London: Harrison & Sons, 1884
Banks, Charles Edward, The Planters of the Commonwealth: A Study of the Emigrants and Emigrations in Colonial Times: 1620–1640, 1930
Coldham, Peter Wilson, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607–1660, 1987
Tenterden Parish Archives, Tenterden Parish Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1544–1650
Digital archive packCoat of arms PNG, gold border print PDF, vector SVG and the certificate of authenticity. Sent to your email in minutes.
saltireResolution, and St Andrew's cross
arms pheon arrowheadReadiness for battle, and the broad arrow of the sovereign
saltireResolution, and St Andrew's cross
arms pheon arrowheadReadiness for battle, and the broad arrow of the sovereign
