The Wollastons are a very old family and we are able to trace them back to not long after the Norman Conquest. It would seem, however, that they held property in the area to the west of Dudley and Walsall from a very early period.
Many of the early members of the family were knights. John Foster in Feudal Coats of Arms records that a Sire John de Wollaston bore at the battle of Boroughbridge, in 1322, the arms of: sable, a chevron between three escallops, argent. I have reproduced this shield here, but I have not been able to prove a family connection. Another coat of arms - argent, three mullets pierced, sable- used by several branches of the family is shown on the title page.
Over the centuries Wollastons have made many contributions to the fabric of life;. some in small local ways, others in larger ways. They have been prominent in many walks of life. Some have held public positions; others have achieved success in other fields, mostly sciences and religion. More Wollastons have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society than any other family.
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