Chapell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The history of the Chapell family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living near the chapel, The surname Chapell is a topographic surname, which is a type of surname that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. In this case the Chapell family were dwellers by the churchyard. [1] [2] [3]

Early Origins of the Chapell family

The surname Chapell was first found in various counties and shires throughout Britain. The earliest record of the family appears to be John Chapel who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1202. [4] Later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Hugh de la Chapele in Nottinghamshire. [1]

During the reign of Edward I., Thomas de la Chapele was listed in Northumberland and John atte Chapele was listed in Somerset. [5] William a la Chapele was listed in the Feet of Fines Rolls about the same time. Richard de la Chapele was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. [4] The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Johannes del Chapell. [1]

Further to the north in Scotland, the name has the same origin, but early records there show the name as more of an occupational name from "the office of usher of the king's chapel, that is, Chancery, was hereditary in a family called from the office de Capella, and was attached to a third part of the lands of Craigmillar. In 1328 there is entry of wages of the boys of William de Capella. John de Capella possessed Craigmillar after the Craigmillars, and in 1374 the lands were purchased from them again by Sir Simon Preston. Little is known of this John de Capella. " [6]

Early History of the Chapell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chapell research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1374, 1569, 1579, 1582, 1588, 1649, 1677, 1728, 1729, 1737, 1745, 1746, 1775, 1795, 1812, 1826, 1830, 1834, 1838, 1840 and 1855 are included under the topic Early Chapell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chapell 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 Chapell include Chapel, Chappell, Chappel, Chappelle, Chapele, Chapell, Chapple and many more.

Early Notables of the Chapell family

Distinguished members of the family include William Chappell (1582-1649), English divine, Bishop of Cork, the son of Robert Chappell, and born at Laxton, Nottinghamshire, on 10 Dec. 1582. [7]William Chapple (1677-1745), English judge, was one of the Chapples of Waybay House, Dorsetshire. "About 1728 he was appointed a judge on the North Wales circuit, and in 1729...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chapell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chapell Ranking

In the United States, the name Chapell is the 18,770^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [8]

Migration of the Chapell family to Ireland

Some of the Chapell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chapell 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 Chapell or a variant listed above:

Chapell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Moses Chapell, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 [9]
William Chapell, who landed in Virginia in 1682 [9]

Chapell 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:

Chapell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Ann Chapell, (b. 1843), aged 16, English settler from Surrey travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 [10]
Miss John Croft Chapell, (b. 1844), aged 15, English settler from Surrey travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 [10]

Contemporary Notables of the name Chapell (post 1700) +

Worden R. Chapell (b. 1848), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Shiawassee County 1st District, 1887-88 [11]
Raymond D. Chapell, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Guilford; Elected 1908 [11]
Lester H. Chapell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1952, 1956; Chair of Genesee County Democratic Party, 1955 [11]

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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.
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html