Poole History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The history of the Poole family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living near a pool of water. 1 The surname Poole 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 Poole family

The surname Poole 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 Poole family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poole 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 Poole History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poole 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 Poole include Pool, Pooley, Poole, Pole, Pull and others.

Early Notables of the Poole 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...
Sir Neville Poole (died 1661), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1648; Sir Edward Poole (1617-1673), was an English politician who sat in the House o...

Poole World Ranking

In the United States, the name Poole is the 452^nd most popular surname with an estimated 62,175 people with that name. 8 However, in Canada, the name Poole is ranked the 883^rd most popular surname with an estimated 6,050 people with that name. 9 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Poole is the 319^th popular surname with an estimated 144 people with that name. 10 Australia ranks Poole as 497^th with 7,681 people. 11 New Zealand ranks Poole as 487^th with 1,399 people. 12 The United Kingdom ranks Poole as 281^st with 21,764 people. 13

Migration of the Poole family to Ireland

Some of the Poole 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.

Poole 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 Poole or a variant listed above:

Poole Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Elizabeth Poole or Pole (1588-1654) was an English settler in Plymouth Colony who founded the town of Taunton, Massachusetts. She is said to be the first woman known to have founded a town in the Americas

Poole Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Poole who settled in Virginia in 1606
Rev. Fisher, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Elizabeth" in 1611 14
Thomas Poole, who settled in Virginia in 1622
Daniel Poole, his wife and child settled in Virginia in 1622
Robert Poole, who settled in Virginia in 1623
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Poole Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Poole, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 15
Jacob Poole, who landed in Virginia in 1705 15
Mary Poole, who landed in Virginia in 1717 15
Lewis Poole, who settled in Virginia in 1736
Abraham Poole, who landed in America in 1760-1763 15

Poole Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Poole, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 15
Mr. Robert Poole, (b. 1806), aged 26, Cornish gardener departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Clio" arriving in New York, USA on 1st May 1832 16
Mr. William Poole, (b. 1805), aged 27, Cornish settler departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Clio" arriving in New York, USA on 1st May 1832 16
Mr. Francis Poole, (b. 1804), aged 38, Cornish labourer departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Triton" arriving in the United States on 11 May 1842 16
Mrs. Elizabeth Poole, (b. 1811), aged 31, Cornish settler departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Triton" arriving in the United States on 11 May 1842 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Poole migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Poole Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Poole, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" from Galway, Ireland

Poole migration to Australia +

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

Poole Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Miss Jane Poole, (b. 1768), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Somerset Assizes at the City of Wells for 7 years for breaking and entering, transported aboard the "Charlotte" on 13th May 1787, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1826 17

Poole Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Poole, (b. 1775), aged 28, British labourer who was convicted in Gloucester, Glouchestershire, England for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1839 18
Mr. Joseph Poole, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duke of Portland" in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 19
Margaret Poole, British convict from Britain, who was transported aboard the "Alexander" on November 4, 1815, settling in New South Wales, Australia 20
Mr. Robert Poole, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 21
Mr. Richard Poole, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 22
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Poole 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:

Poole Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Nathaniel Poole, aged 31, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
Mary Poole, aged 27, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
Nathaniel Poole, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
William Poole, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 23
Thomas Poole, aged 19, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Indus" in 1843
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Poole migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 24

Poole Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Francis Poole, aged 29, who landed in Barbados in 1684 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Poole (post 1700) +

Wakefield Walter Poole III (1936-2021), American dancer, choreographer, theatrical director, and pioneering film director in the 1970s and 1980s
James Richard Poole (1966-2023), American pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB).
William Thomas Poole, American politician, Postmaster at Rockville, Maryland, 1849-50
William E. Poole, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 1964, 1972
William Poole, American politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 29th District, 1894
W. W. Poole, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1908
Van B. Poole, American Republican politician, Member of Florida State Senate 30th District; Elected 1978; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Florida, 1982; Presidential Elector for Florida, 1992
Thomas E. D. Poole, American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Frederick County, 1844
Theodore Lewis Poole (1840-1900), American Republican politician, Served in the Union Army during the Civil War; Onondaga County Clerk, 1868-70; U.S. Representative from New York 27th District, 1895-97; Defeated, 1896
Robert W. Poole Jr., American Libertarian politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for California, 1972
... (Another 65 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Poole family +

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Bertha Gladys Poole (1900-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 25

HMS Cornwall

Leslie Poole (d. 1942), British Petty Officer aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 26

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. C Poole, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 27

HMS Repulse

Mr. Richard A W Poole, British Lieutenant, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 28

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Gertrude Kate Elizabeth Poole, American 2nd Class passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 29

SS Caribou

Mr. Wilfred George Poole (b. 1921), Newfoundland passenger who was Royal Navy from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he died in the sinking

USS Arizona

Mr. Ralph Ernest Poole, American Seaman First Class from Ohio, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 30

The Poole 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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charlotte
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-portland
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Alexander voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1815 with 12 passengers. Retrieved from Alexander voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1815 with 12 passengers
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html