Contents [hide]

Constable History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Constable History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Constable was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Constable is for a law enforcement officer of a parish. The surname is derived from the Old French word, cunestable. 1

Early Origins of the Constable family

The surname Constable was first found in Yorkshire where the family descend from Robert de Laci, whose ancestors had been constables of Chester under the celebrated Hugh Lupus temp. William the Conqueror. 2

The first records of the family include: Richard Constabl' who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Cheshire in 1130 and Alice Cunestabl' who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1200. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Jordan Constabul in Northumberland; and Clemens le Constable in Kent. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Margareta Constabille and Richard Constabularius. 3

The parish of Melton-Constable is of great significance to the family. "This place is of great antiquity, and at the time of the Domesday Survey was granted to the bishops of Thetford, of whom it was held by Roger de Lyons, whose descendants assumed the name of Constable, from the office which they held under the see." 4

Wassand in the East Riding of Yorkshire was home to another branch of the family. " It is called in Domesday Book Wadsande, and after passing through the abbeys of Meaux and of St. Mary at York, and several families, came, in the time of Henry VIII., to the Constables, by whom it is still possessed." 4

Again, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, we found another early reference at Benningholme. " Among the chief owners of land in former times were the Constables, who had possessions in the township so early as the time of Henry III.: several of the farmhouses contain ancient remains." 4

Early History of the Constable family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Constable research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1390, 1443, 1478, 1518, 1537, 1562, 1590, 1592, 1595, 1613, 1647, 1651, 1655, 1664, 1682, 1710 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Constable History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Constable Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Constable were recorded, including Constable, Constables and others.

Early Notables of the Constable family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Marmaduke Constable (1443-1518), English soldier
Sir Robert Constable (c. 1478-1537) of Flamborough, Sheriff of Yorkshire, executed for treason for taking part in the Pilgrimage of Grace
Sir William Constable, 1st Baronet (baptized 1590-1655), English soldier, politician and regicide, son of Sir Robert Constable
Henry Constable (1562-1613) was an English poet
Francis Constable (1592-1647), a London bookseller
Sir Philip Constable, 1st Baronet (c.1595-1664)
Sir Philip Mark Constable, 3rd Baronet (1651-c.1710)

Constable Ranking

In the United States, the name Constable is the 13,829^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Constable migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Constable arrived in North America very early:

Constable Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Constable, who landed in Virginia in 1622-1623 6
Robert Constable who settled in Virginia in 1624
Sarah Constable, who landed in Virginia in 1656 6
William Constable, who landed in Virginia in 1657 6
John Constable, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Constable Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Martha Constable, who landed in Virginia in 1711 6
Joseph Constable, who landed in Virginia in 1713 6
Jane Constable, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6

Constable Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin Eastmand Constable, who arrived in New York, NY in 1834 6
Nathaniel Constable, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 6
Marmaduke Constable, who arrived in Virginia in 1884 6

Constable migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Constable Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Jean Constable, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1831

Constable migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Constable Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Constable, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, the settlement was listed as abandoned and most of the convicts transported to Tasmania on the "Queen" in 1804 7
Mr. Benjamin Constable, (b. 1796), aged 24, English gunsmith who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Dick" on 2nd October 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1871 8
John Constable, English convict from Gloucester, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. William Constable, (Ramsay, James), Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Constable, English convict who was convicted in East Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Constable migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Constable Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edward Constable, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
John Constable, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Adelaide 12
J Constable, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship New York Packet
Mr. Edward Constable, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 13
Mrs. Esther Constable, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sandford" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 9th July 1856 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Constable (post 1700) +

Jimmy Lee "Jim" Constable (1933-2002), American Major League Baseball relief pitcher
John Constable (1776-1837), English Romantic painter, born in Suffolk, known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, now known as "Constable Country"
James Ashley Constable (b. 1984), English footballer
Alexander Constable, Commander Order of the British Empire from England, and direct descendant of the English Duries from Scotland
Archibald Constable (1774-1827), Scottish publisher, bookseller and stationer from Carnbee, Fife, who once held the copyright of Encyclopædia Britannica, founder of what would become the book publishing firm Constable & Robinson 14
Dean Constable (b. 1980), Canadian politician, leader of the New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island from 2006 to 2007
Elizabeth "Liz" Constable (b. 1943), Australian politician, Independent member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from Sydney, New South Wales
William Constable Pierrepont (1803-1885), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Jefferson County, 1841 15

Historic Events for the Constable family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Alan R Constable (b. 1924), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Leicester, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 16

The Constable 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: Semper paratus
Motto Translation: Always prepared.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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 England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm