Peshall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Peshall

The history of the Peshall family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Staffordshire, at Pearsall, from whence they took their name. "The family are of Norman origin, having been founded, at the place referred to, by Robert, a follower of Robert of Stafford, early in the reign of the Conqueror. He was son of Gilbert, son of Richard, Count of Corbeil in Normandy." 1

Early Origins of the Peshall family

Early History of the Peshall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peshall research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1341, 1374, 1376, 1531, 1539, 1629, 1633, 1634, 1653, 1670, 1676, 1696, 1702, 1795 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Peshall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peshall Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Pearsall, Pershall, Persall, Parsil, Parcell, Parcel and many more.

Early Notables of the Peshall family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Persall (1633-1702), alias Harcourt, English Jesuit, born in Staffordshire in 1633, from of an ancient Catholic family there, vice-provincial of England in 1696. He entered the...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peshall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Peshall family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Peshall name or one of its variants: Jonas Parshall, who settled in Virginia in 1620; Thomas Pearsall, who arrived in Virginia in 1631; Henry Pearsall, who arrived in Long Island in 1657.