Cantrel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Cantrel family name to the British Isles. They lived in Lancashire. The family descend from a Norman noble who arrived from the area of Chantarel, Normandy with the 1066 invasion. The name is possibly derived from the Old French words chanterelle, which translates in English to "a small bell" or from canterellus which means "the little singer." 1

By way of confirmation, researchers found William and Roger Cantarel, of Normandy, 1198 listed in the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae. 2

Early Origins of the Cantrel family

The surname Cantrel was first found in Yorkshire. "Most of my instances hail from Yorkshire. I could have adduced others. It is there the surname is still most largely represented." 3

The first record of the family in Britain was found in the Rotuli Curiae Regis. There Alberic Chanterhill, of England, 1199 was listed. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Alice Cainterel, Yorkshire; William Chanterel, Northamptonshire; Richard Chaunterel, Wiltshire; and Martin Chanterrl, Yorkshire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Johannes Quayntorell; and Johanna Quayntell. 3

Early History of the Cantrel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cantrel research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1503, 1569, 1632, 1673, 1685, 1700 and 1773 are included under the topic Early Cantrel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cantrel Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Cantrell, Cantrel, Cantrill, Cantril, Chantrell and many more.

Early Notables of the Cantrel family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Henry Cantrell (1685?-1773), English miscellaneous writer, born about 1685...

Migration of the Cantrel family to Ireland

Some of the Cantrel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cantrel migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Cantrel or a variant listed above were:

Cantrel Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Phil Cantrel, who landed in Virginia in 1650 4

The Cantrel Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Propio vos sanguine pasco
Motto Translation: I feed you with kindred blood.

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)