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![Show Contents]() Chiswel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The ancestry of the name Chiswel dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in Chishall, two parishes in the county of Essex. It is from the place-name that the family name is derived. Today, Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County, Virginia, United States and was originally a frontier fort built in 1758 during the French and Indian War; and the Chiswell Islands are a group of rocky, uninhabited islands in the Gulf of Alaska. Unfortunately, the reason for the named locations has been lost. Early Origins of the Chiswel familyThe surname Chiswel was first found in Essex at either Great Chishall or Little Chishall, both in the union of Royston, hundred of Uttlesford. 1 Chiswell Green is a village, in St Albans, Hertfordshire which dates back to 1782. The name was thought to have been derived from "the gravelly spring or stream" from the Old English "cis" + "wella" + "green." 2 One of the first records of the family was John de Chishull (d. 1280), Bishop of London, "probably born in Essex in the village of Chishall, between Royston and Saffron from which he doubtless took his name. A branch of his family was afterwards settled at Bardfield in the same county. In 1252 he was appointed rector of Isleham in Cambridgeshire, and in 1256 he received from the king the church of Upwell in Norfolk. Previously to 1262 he had become Archdeacon of London, and in that year acted as executor for Bishop Wingham." 3 Early History of the Chiswel familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chiswel research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1639, 1670, 1671, 1673, 1711, 1733 and 1751 are included under the topic Early Chiswel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Chiswel Spelling VariationsSpelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Chiswel have been found, including Chiswell, Chissell, Chishull, Chussell and others. Early Notables of the Chiswel familyDistinguished members of the family include - Robert Muilman French-Chiswell; and Richard Chiswell (1673-1751), a wealthy English merchant and politician, Director of the Bank of England
- Richard Chiswell the Elder (1639-1711), ''who well deserves the title of metropolitan bookseller of England, if not of all the world,' says Dunton. 3 Richard Chiswell the Younger (1673-1751), was...
Migration of the Chiswel familyFamilies began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Chiswel, or a variant listed above: James Chisel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1838.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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