Lenthall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Lenthall family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in the chapelry of Lenthall found in the parish of Aymestrey in the county of Hereford.

Early Origins of the Lenthall family

The surname Lenthall was first found in Herefordshire at Lenthall. However, later some of the family were found at Yelford-Hastings in Oxfordshire. "This parish, which originally belonged to the family of Hastings, was purchased by Mr. Speaker Lenthall, whose descendant, K. J. W. Lenthall, Esq., is the present lord of the manor." 1 The same gentleman was later found at Besselsleigh in Berkshire. "Sir Edmund Fettyplace sold [the manor of Besselsleigh], about 1620, to Wm. Lenthall, master of the rolls, and speaker of the house of commons in the Long parliament, from whom it has descended to Kyffin J. W. Lenthall, Esq. The old manor-house was pulled down about fifty years later: Cromwell, who was a frequent visitor, usually concealed himself in a room to which the only access was by a chair let down and drawn up with pulleys. Sir John Lenthall, son and heir of the speaker, and governor of Windsor Castle, was buried in the chancel of the church in 1681." 1

Early History of the Lenthall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lenthall research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1591, 1620, 1622, 1662 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Lenthall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lenthall Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Lenthall include Lenthal, Lentall, Lenthall and others.

Early Notables of the Lenthall family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

William Lenthall (1591-1662), an English politician, Speaker of the House of Commons

Lenthall migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled 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 ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lenthall or a variant listed above:

Lenthall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Antholy Lenthall, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 aboard the ship "Tristram and Jane" 2
Robert Lenthall, who settled in Boston in 1640
Rich Lenthall, who landed in Virginia in 1664 3
Richard Lenthall, who landed in Maryland in 1671 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Lenthall (post 1700) +

David Lenthall, American actor, known for his work on Muppets from Space (1999), Love Liza (2002) and The Rage: Carrie 2
John Lenthall (1807-1882), American shipbuilder and naval architect, responsible for much of the construction and repair of United States Navy ships during the Civil War, eponym of the USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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)