Chussel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Chussel is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having 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 Chussel family

The surname Chussel 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 Chussel family

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

Chussel Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Chussel family name include Chiswell, Chissell, Chishull, Chussell and others.

Early Notables of the Chussel family

Distinguished 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. Edmund Chishull (1671-1733), was an English divine and antiquary, son of Paul Chishull, born at Eyworth, Bedfordshire, 22 March 1670-1671. 3 Richard Chiswell the Elder (1639-1711), ''who...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chussel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chussel family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Chussel surname or a spelling variation of the name include: James Chisel, who settled in Philadelphia in 1838.

Citations +

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