Contents [hide]

Curle History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Curle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Curle family lived at Kirkley, a township in the parish of Poneteland in the county of Northumberland. The family name Curle became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, when William the Conqueror gave his friends and relatives most of the land formerly owned by Anglo-Saxon aristocrats. An early roll lists John de Curli of England, 1199 and this source presumes the name is from Thomas de Curleio in Normandy, 1198. [1]

Another source postulates the name means "dweller near Curley (bend or turn in the road), in Scotland; one who came from Curley, in France; one who had curly hair." [2]

Early Origins of the Curle family

The surname Curle was first found in Sussex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Ashburnham, anciently Esseborne. These estates, including three salt houses, were granted to Robert de Criel, a Norman Knight, by William, Duke of Normandy for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D., and is so noted in the Domesday Book, [3] a survey taken of landholders in England in 1086.

Robert de Criel was from the Castle of Criel near Criel-sur-Mer in the arrondisement of Dieppe. Part of the walls of this huge castle are still standing, and there are also traces of a moat. Robert's chief tenant was the Count of Eu. [1]

Early English rolls showed a wide variety of spellings in Latin and early English: Rannulf de Curleio was listed at Hinton, Hampshire c. 1110; Robert de Curli was found in the Pipe Rolls for Oxfordshire in 1190; William de Curly in the Feet of Fines for Warwickshire 1227-1228; Benedict le Curly in Staffordshire in 1271; and Thomas Curly in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. [4]

Early History of the Curle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Curle research. Another 257 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1295, 1339, 1489, 1575, 1628, 1629, 1632, 1637, 1647, 1678, 1679, 1724 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Curle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Curle Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Crull, Crul, Cruel, Criel, Cryle, Kriel, Krile, Crile, Kirle, Kyrle, Cyrle, Kreel, Creel, Crulle, Crule, Curl, Curle, Girl, Cryll and many more.

Early Notables of the Curle family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Walter Curle (Curll) (1575-1647), an English bishop, a close supporter of William Laud, Bishop of Rochester in 1628, Bishop of Bath and Wells from 1629 to 1632

Migration of the Curle family to Ireland

Some of the Curle family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Curle migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Curle or a variant listed above:

Curle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joane Curle, who settled in Virginia in 1652
Tho Curle, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 [5]

Curle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A. Curle settled in San Francisco, California in 1852

Curle migration to Australia +

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

Curle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Ann Curle, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Diana" on 4th December 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [6]
Miss Helen Curle, (Wilson), Scottish Convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atwick" on 28 September 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]
Eliol Curle, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Oregon" [8]
James Curle, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Lady Macdonald" [9]

Curle 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:

Curle Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. David Curle, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Spray" arriving in New Zealand in 1851 [10]
Mr. Andrew Curle, (b. 1831), aged 34, British shepherd travelling from London aboard the ship "Eastern Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 4th January 1865 [11]

Contemporary Notables of the name Curle (post 1700) +

Tom Curle (b. 1986), former English professional footballer who played from 2003 to 2006
Keith Curle (b. 1963), former English professional footballer and manager
Gerald Curle (1893-1977), English cricketer who played for Warwickshire in 1913
Richard Curle (1883-1968), Scottish author, traveller and bibliophile
J. H. Curle (b. 1942), Canadian philatelist awarded the Crawford Medal by the Royal Philatelic Society London
Charles Thomas William "Adam" Curle (1916-2006), British academic and Quaker peace activist

The Curle 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: Nil moror ictus
Motto Translation: I do not care for blows.

Citations +

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)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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 5th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diana
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atwick
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The barque OREGON, 521 tons - 1851 voyage to South Australia. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Oregon.htm
South Australian Register Monday 9th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Lady Macdonald 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/ladymacdonald1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html