Buttel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Buttel was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Buttel family lived at Bootle in the suburbs of Liverpool, Lancashire. "The name of this place, formerly written "Bothill," is supposed to be derived from the booths erected on a hill above the town, for the watchmen whose duty it was to light the beacon on its summit, upon the discovery of any ships in the Irish Channel which might appear to threaten a descent upon the coast." 1

Early Origins of the Buttel family

The surname Buttel was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Conjecturally they are descended from Count Roger de Poitou, of Poitou. He was the son of Earl Roger of Poitou, who was one of the Norman nobles in the Battle of Hastings. The name of the hamlet was anciently Boltelai. The Count Poitou (Pictaviens) held Boltelai and numerous other Lordships in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. He is recorded in the Domesday Book taken in 1086 A.D. "Four thanes at the time of the Domesday Survey held 'Boltelai' as four manors." 1

This hamlet later became known as Bootle and ironically, at this time there is no record of any habitation known as Liverpool of which Bootle is now a Borough.

Early rolls had few entries for the name. In fact, the first entries were in the 16th century where the Lancashire Wills at Richmond listed: Matthew Bootle, Lancashire, a scrviniman, 1595; and Thomas Bootle, of Tatham, Lancashire, 1598. A few years later, the Preston Guild Rolls listed Thomas Bootell, Lancashire, 1602; and William Bootell, Lancashire, 1602. 2

Further to the north in Scotland, Buittle is a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcud-bright. "This place is of great antiquity, and there are still some remains of its castle, supposed to have been the principal seat of the ancient lords of Galloway. The parish, of which the name is of very uncertain derivation." 3

Early History of the Buttel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buttel research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1662, 1715 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Buttel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buttel Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Butil, Butill, Butel, Bootell, Bootle, Buthill and others.

Early Notables of the Buttel family

More information is included under the topic Early Buttel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buttel migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Buttel or a variant listed above:

Buttel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andreas Buttel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 4
Hans Georg Buttel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 4
Christoph Buttel, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 4

Buttel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gerd Buttel, aged 4, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1845 4
John Buttel, aged 42, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1845 4

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)