Marshalls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The name Marshalls arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a blacksmith or a person who tended horses deriving its origin from the Old English word marshal, which meant blacksmith. In medieval England, blacksmiths were extremely important because they were employed by the nobility to look after the horses. 1

John Marshal (d. 1164?), the English warrior, was "son and heir of Gilbert Marshal, who was unsuccessfully impleaded with him in the court of Henry I by Robert de Venoiz and William de Hastings for the office of master of the king's marshalsea (Rot. Chart. p. 46), from which the family took its name. In the 'Pipe Roll' of 1130 he is found paying for succession to his father's lands and office (p. 18) and in possession of an estate in Wiltshire (p. 23). In 1138 he fortified Marlborough and Ludgershall (Ann. Wint.), probably as one of the rebels of that year, for Stephen was besieging him in Marlborough when the empress landed, in 1139 (Cont. Flor. Wig. p. 117). In 1140 he was approached by Robert FitzHubert, who had seized Devizes Castle, and who hoped to secure Marlborough; but John, overreaching him, made him his prisoner, and then sold him to the Earl of Gloucester." 2

William Marshal first Earl of Pembroke and Striguil of the Marshal line (d. 1219), "Regent of England, was second son of John Marshal (d. 1164?) [q. v.], by his second wife, Sibyl, sister of Patrick, earl of Salisbury. He is represented as describing himself as over eighty years of age in 1216, but his father and mother were not married till 1141, and 1146 is a more likely date for his birth. When Stephen besieged John Marshal at Newbury in 1152, the young William was given as hostage for a truce and the surrender of the castle. John Marshal refused to keep the terms, and his son's life would have been sacrificed had not Stephen, attracted by the child's bold spirit and pretty ways, protected him." 2

Early Origins of the Marshalls family

The surname Marshalls was first found in various counties in England including Cambridgeshire, Somerset and Oxfordshire where William le Marechal, Gunnilda le Marescall and Robert Marescallus were all recorded respectively in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists Willelmus de Scheplay, marciall, and Johannes Mareschall. 3

"Distributed over England, its great home being in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, whilst there are less important homes in Northumberland in the north and in Somerset in the south. The name is of foreign origin. It was originally "Marechal," or "Mare - schalks," the old name for a horse - groom or farrier, in which sense it is still used in France. The post became dignified. The name has extended from the north of England into central and southern Scotland." 4

Early History of the Marshalls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Marshalls research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1084, 1170, 1235, 1535, 1540, 1554, 1578, 1594, 1621, 1626, 1628, 1629, 1631, 1632, 1637, 1644, 1654, 1655, 1662, 1664, 1670, 1672, 1675, 1678, 1680, 1685, 1698 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Marshalls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Marshalls 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 Marshall, Marshal, Marescal, Marshale and others.

Early Notables of the Marshalls family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Marshal (1170-1235) of Higham, first Baron Marshal; Henry Marshal, Bishop of Exeter; William Marshal, first Earl of Pembroke and regent of England; William Marshall (died c. 1540), an English Protestant reformer, printer, and translator, one of Thomas Cromwell's confidential agents in 1535; Stephen Marshall (c.1594-1655), an English...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Marshalls Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Marshalls family to Ireland

Some of the Marshalls family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Marshalls family

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 Marshalls or a variant listed above: Edward Marshall, who arrived in Virginia in 1621; Charle Marshall, who arrived in Virginia in 1623; Ffrancis Marshall, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ".

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.