The ancestors of the Rossal family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Shropshire, at Rossall Manor, from whence their name is derived. Another derivation places the origin of the name at Rossall Point, a headland in Lancashire, just north of Shropshire. It is difficult to say which of these preceded the other, due to inadequate records of the time. However, due to the relatively close proximity of the two counties, it is quite likely that the two origins are connected in a way lost to the historical record.
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Early Origins of the Rossal family
The surname Rossal was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat from ancient times, and were Lords of the manor of Rossall, originally named Rosela. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066, the holdings were known as the Isle of Rossall, held by the Church of St. Chad. A junior branch of this name gave its name to Rossall in Lancashire which was also included in the Domesday Book, 1 but on which the records are now lost.
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Early History of the Rossal family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rossal research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1306 and 1677 are included under the topic Early Rossal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Rossal Spelling Variations
A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Rossal, Rossall, Rossale, Rosal, Rosall, Rosale and many more.
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Rossal or a variant listed above: Thomas Rassall, who settled in Maryland in 1739; and Richard Rossall, who applied for naturalization in New York in 1856.
