Contents [hide]

Pole History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Pole History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
France
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

Pole is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Pole family once lived near a pool of water. 1 The surname Pole belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.

Early Origins of the Pole family

The surname Pole was first found in Dorset at Poole, now a large coastal town and seaport. While today Poole is a large tourist resort, looking back to as early as the Iron Age, this costal town was a major fishing port. The Romans landed at Poole during their conquest of Britain in the 1st century.

Years later, the Vikings in 876 landed; Guthrum sailed his fleet through the harbour to attack Wareham, and in later 1015, Canute began his conquest of England here using it as a base to raid and pillage Wessex. Centuries later in the 16th century, Poole would become a major commercial center for the North American colonies, including the vast fisheries of Newfoundland. Accordingly, many Newfoundlanders trace their lineage through Poole or nearby communities. Another branch was found at Ewelme in Oxfordshire at ancient times.

Another source notes: "the oldest family of this name, Poole of Poole, co. Chester, were lords of that estate from an early period. The name was variously written, in the XIV. century, Pull, Poole, and De la Poole." 2

"William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, who obtained the manor by marriage with Alice, daughter and heiress of Thomas Chaucer, son of Geoffrey Chaucer, the poet, in whose family it had been for many years, erected the present church and a noble mansion, of which latter only some of the outoffices now remain. There are some handsome monuments, one of which, to the memory of the Duchess of Suffolk, who died in 1475, is elaborately embellished; the Chaucer monument, an altar-tomb, is ornamented with numerous shields of armorial bearings, and inlaid with brasses on which are the effigies of a knight and his lady, in the costume of the fifteenth century." 3

"William de la Pole, Earl and Duke of Suffolk, the redoubted warrior of the martial times of Henry V. and Henry VI., was derived from the Norman De la Pole. From the same origin also sprang the De la Poles of Staffordshire, the parent stock of the Poles of Radborne, co. Derby, and the Poles, Barons Montagu, illustrious for having given birth to Cardinal Pole, Archbishop of Canterbury, the most eminent prelate of his age, one of the three presidents of the Council of Trent." 4

Again in Radbourn (Radborne) in Derbyshire: "On the death of Sir John Chandos, the celebrated warrior, in 1370, the estate passed to his representatives in the female line, and eventually to Sir Peter de la Pole, from whom the manor has descended to its present owner, Edward Sacheverel Chandos Pole, Esq. Radbourn Hall, a large brick mansion of modern date, the seat of the Pole family, stands on an eminence in a well-wooded park, commanding extensive views in all directions." 3

Somerset was an early point of importance to the family for it is there that we find: Boniface atte Poule; Stephen atte Poule; and Philip atte Poule all recorded 1 Edward III (in the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one early entry, that of Walter de la Pulle, Oxfordshire and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 similarly had only one: Johanna de Pulle. 6

In Scotland, the name is "perhaps local, from residence by a pool. William del Pol of Donde granted a charter, 1321. William, Adam, and Mathew Pule appear in 1624, and John Puill was merchant burgess of Dumfries, 1638." 7

Early History of the Pole family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pole research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1361, 1366, 1389, 1415, 1448, 1462, 1473, 1500, 1505, 1541, 1558, 1564, 1566, 1597, 1601, 1603, 1612, 1614, 1617, 1621, 1624, 1626, 1629, 1632, 1640, 1648, 1661, 1673 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Pole History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pole Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Pole family name include Pool, Pooley, Poole, Pole, Pull and others.

Early Notables of the Pole family

Notables of the family at this time include

Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk (1330?-1389), Lord Chancellor, son of Sir William de la Pole (d. 1366); and his son, Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk (1361-1415), eldest son of Michael de l...

Migration of the Pole family to Ireland

Some of the Pole family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pole migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Pole surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Pole Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Eliz Pole, who settled in Massachusetts sometime between 1620 and 1650
Elizabeth Pole, who arrived in Massachusetts sometime between 1620 and 1650
Edward Pole, who settled in Boston in 1635
Edward Pole, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 8
William Pole, who settled in New England in 1649
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pole Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Adam Pole, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 8

Pole migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pole Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Pole, who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1847

Pole migration to Australia +

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

Pole Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Pole, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1838 9
John Pole, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Morley" in 1840 10
Sigmund Pole, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1848 aboard the ship "Victoria" 11
William Pole, aged 19, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Wanderer" 12
William Pole, aged 19, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Wanderer" in 1851 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pole 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:

Pole Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James P. Pole, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Pekin" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th November 1863 13
Mr. Richard P. Pole, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Pekin" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th November 1863 13
Mr. Joseph Pole, (b. 1837), aged 37, English miner from Somerset travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 13
Mrs. Mary Pole, (b. 1850), aged 24, English settler from Somerset travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 13
Mr. William Pole, (b. 1873), aged 11 months, English settler from Somerset travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Pole (post 1700) +

Richard Henry "Dick" Pole (b. 1950), American retired Major League Baseball player and a former Cincinnati Reds pitching coach
William Pole Jr., American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Baltimore County, 1886 14
George W. Pole, American politician, Delegate to Maryland State Constitutional Convention, 1867 14
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Morice Pole (1757-1830), 1st Baronet, English naval officer and Colonial Governor of Newfoundland (1800-1801)
William Pole Thornhill (1807-1876), British Whig and then Liberal Party politician, Member of Parliament for North Derbyshire (1853-1865), High Sheriff of Derbyshire (1836-1837)
Douglas Pole Welman, CBE

The Pole 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: Pollet virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue excels.

Citations +

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.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LLOYDS from London 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Lloyds.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MORLEY 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Morley.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) VICTORIA 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Victoria.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WANDERER 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Wanderer.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html