| ![Show Contents]() Buttil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Buttil family lived at Bootle in the suburbs of Liverpool, Lancashire. "The name of this place, formerly written "Bothill," is supposed to be derived from the booths erected on a hill above the town, for the watchmen whose duty it was to light the beacon on its summit, upon the discovery of any ships in the Irish Channel which might appear to threaten a descent upon the coast." 1 Early Origins of the Buttil familyThe surname Buttil was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Conjecturally they are descended from Count Roger de Poitou, of Poitou. He was the son of Earl Roger of Poitou, who was one of the Norman nobles in the Battle of Hastings. The name of the hamlet was anciently Boltelai. The Count Poitou (Pictaviens) held Boltelai and numerous other Lordships in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. He is recorded in the Domesday Book taken in 1086 A.D. "Four thanes at the time of the Domesday Survey held 'Boltelai' as four manors." 1 This hamlet later became known as Bootle and ironically, at this time there is no record of any habitation known as Liverpool of which Bootle is now a Borough. Early rolls had few entries for the name. In fact, the first entries were in the 16th century where the Lancashire Wills at Richmond listed: Matthew Bootle, Lancashire, a scrviniman, 1595; and Thomas Bootle, of Tatham, Lancashire, 1598. A few years later, the Preston Guild Rolls listed Thomas Bootell, Lancashire, 1602; and William Bootell, Lancashire, 1602. 2 Further to the north in Scotland, Buittle is a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcud-bright. "This place is of great antiquity, and there are still some remains of its castle, supposed to have been the principal seat of the ancient lords of Galloway. The parish, of which the name is of very uncertain derivation." 3 Early History of the Buttil familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buttil research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1662, 1715 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Buttil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Buttil Spelling VariationsNorman 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 Butil, Butill, Butel, Bootell, Bootle, Buthill and others. Early Notables of the Buttil familyMore information is included under the topic Early Buttil Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Buttil familyMany 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 Buttil or a variant listed above: Catherine, Clementina, George, Jacob, Melchoir, Phillip Junior and Phillip Butel Senior who landed in New York State in 1876.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
 |
England
Scotland
