Show ContentsTrussler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Cornwall in southwestern England provides the original birthplace of the surname Trussler. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Trussler history began in Cornwall, at the manor of Tresilian, in the parish of Newlyn.

Early Origins of the Trussler family

The surname Trussler was first found in Cornwall where they were Lords of the Manor of Tresilian in Newlyn, in Cornwall.

One of the first records of the family was Sir Robert Tresilan (d. 1388), Chief Justice of the King's Bench, "was no doubt a native of Cornwall, in which county he held the manors of Tresilian, Tremordret, Bonnamy, Stratton, and Scilly. " 1

We found another passage clearing up the fate of Robert Tresilian. "The manor of Tremoderet, [in the parish of Duloe, Cornwall] now generally called Tremadart, belonged at a very early period to the family of Hewis. By an heiress of this family it was carried in marriage to. Sir Robert Tresilian, chief justice of the King's Bench, who was executed at Tyburn in 1338, for recommending arbitrary measures which his sovereign had not power to execute. His widow, who afterwards married Sir John Coleshill, made interest to have the previous forfeiture of her lands, on the death of her former husband, revoked." 2

Early History of the Trussler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trussler research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1388, 1450, 1515, 1590, 1735, 1757 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Trussler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trussler Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and 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 of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Tresilian, Treysilian, Trasilian, Tresylian and many more.

Early Notables of the Trussler family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Robert Tresilian, Chief Justice of England. John Tresilian (c.1450-1515) was a master smith that worked for Edward IV of England.John Trusler (1735-1820), English eccentric divine, literary compiler and medical empiric, was born in London in July 1735. His father was the proprietor of the public tea-gardens at Marylebone. In...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Trussler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Trussler migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Trussler:

Trussler Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Michael Trussler, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1771 3

Australia Trussler migration to Australia +

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

Trussler Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Trussler, English convict who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Trussler (post 1700) +

  • Michael Trussler, Canadian professor at the University of Regina
  • Honourable Marguerite Trussler QC, Canadian Chair of the Board of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, 4th Ethics Commissioner for Alberta (2014-)
  • Menna Trussler (b. 1937), Welsh actress, known for her roles in Undertaking Betty (2002), Pride (2014) and Body Beautiful (1991)

HMS Royal Oak
  • Leonard George Trussler (d. 1939), British Stoker 2nd Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 5


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
  5. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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