Kentle Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

It was in the Scottish/English Borderlands that the Strathclyde-Briton people first used the ancient name Kentle. It was a name for someone who lived in Treworgy in Duloe. The parish of Kendall in Westmorland was home to many of the family. "On the east bank of the river are the ruins of a castle, the baronial seat of the lords of Kendal, and the birthplace of Catherine Parr, the last queen of Henry VIII." 1 "The manufacture of 'Kendal green' made this town early famous, and of necessity caused the surname to be common." 2 3 However, another source disagrees with these sources. "The general opinion seems to be that this family is of different origin from that of the Kendalls of Westmorland, whose name is derived from Kirby-in-Kendale. Kendall signifies to see or behold the dale or valley; otherwise Kendall or Cendall is fine linen; and Cendale may be a corruption of Pendall, i. e. the head of the valley." 4

Early Origins of the Kentle family

The surname Kentle was first found in Treworgy in Duloe, and are traced to Richard Kendall or Treworgy, Burgess for Lunceston in the forty-third of Edward III. For many centuries Pelyn was the family seat for this family. And it here that Walter, the third son of John Kendall of Treworgy married a daughter and coheir of Robert Holland, an illegitimate son of a Duke of Exeter. 5

"This place belonged for many ages to the ancient and respectable family of Kendall, who had their seat here; one of whom was sheriff of Cornwall in the year 1385. In this family it remained until the days of William III. when John Kendall, Esq. having no issue, sold Treworgye to the family of Williams of Bodenick." 6

"The Kendalls of Cornwall, long and still resident at Pelyn, were formerly of Treworgy in that county." 4

"The Kendalls of Pelyn [in the parish of Lanlivery, Cornwall] are descended from Walter, third son of John Kendall of Treworgy, who married a daughter and co-heiress of Robert Holland, descended from the Bishop of Exeter. There are several memorials in Lanlivery church for this family; that which bears the earliest date is for Walter Kendall, in 1547." 6

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had the following listings of the family: Johannes de Kendall; Thomas de Kendale; Edmundus de Kendall and finally Johannes de Kendall, Webster. 2 John de Kendale was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332. 7

Early History of the Kentle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kentle research. Another 240 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1539, 1577, 1588, 1625, 1640, 1643, 1647, 1686, 1690, 1694, 1696 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Kentle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kentle Spelling Variations

Surnames that evolved in Scotland in the Middle Ages often appear under many spelling variations. These are due to the practice of spelling according to sound in the era before dictionaries had standardized the English language. Kentle has appeared as Kendall, Kendal, Kendel, Kendell, Kendale and others.

Early Notables of the Kentle family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Nicholas Kendall (c. 1577-1643), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1625 and 1640 killed in action fighting on the Royalist side in the English Civil War; and James Kendall (1647-1708), English soldier and...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kentle Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kentle family

The North American colonies beckoned, with their ample land and opportunity as their freedom from the persecution suffered by so many Clan families back home. Many Scots even fought against England in the American War of Independence to gain this freedom. Recently, clan societies have allowed the ancestors of these brave Scottish settlers to rediscover their familial roots. Among them: George Kendall, who came to the Virginia colony in 1606; William Kendal, who settled in Virginia in 1653 with his wife Mary; Henry,John and Robert Kendall, who all settled in Virginia in 1635.

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)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)