Contents [hide]

Colvill History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Colvill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The history of the Colvill family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Colton. There are places named Colton in Staffordshire and Norfolk. The family claim descent from Gilbert de Colleville, who lived in Coleville, a town in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Colvill family

The surname Colvill was first found in Suffolk, where they held a family seat from early times. They were descended from Gilbert de Colleville (Colavilla, Colvile) from Coleville, a town between Caen and Bayeux in Normandy. He accompanied Duke William from Normandy and had two sons. 1

From Gilbert and William the English Barons of Colleville are descended. William held lands in Yorkshire. His eldest son Phillip acquired the lands of Ancroft in Northumberland, and from him are descended the Lords of Colville in Scotland.

Searching other records, we found Thomas de Colevill who was listed as a witness to many documents in the late 1100s, as well as being mentioned in a perambulation of the marches of Elstaneshalche in 1181. A Thomas de Colouilla, who may or may not be the same man, was charged with treason in 1211. 2

In Scotland, Ada de Coleuyll generously gave the lands of Kynnard in Fife to the monks of the Abbey of Neubotle in 1241 and Thomas de Coleville, who lived in Dumfriesshire rendered homage to King Edward I on his invasion of Scotland in 1296. Robert de Colvylle of Scotland was rewarded for extreme courage and steady obedience in 1358; he was granted an annuity of 20 marks from the customs of Kingston on Hulle. 3

Richard de Collewele was listed in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1268 and Robert de Kolewell was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2

Early History of the Colvill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colvill research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1174, 1296, 1337, 1358, 1377, 1384, 1385, 1390, 1393, 1394, 1540, 1551, 1604, 1605, 1629, 1662, 1675, 1690, 1813, 1871 and 1898 are included under the topic Early Colvill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colvill Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Colville, Coleville, Colevile, Colwell, Colwill, Collwell, Collwill, Colewell, Colewill, Caulville, Caulwell and many more.

Early Notables of the Colvill family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir John Colville (c.1337-1394), of Newton, Cambridgeshire and Walsoken, Norfolk, Member of the Parliament for Cambridgeshire in 1377, 1384, 1385, 1390 and 1393
John Colville (c.1540-1605), a Scottish clergyman, judge, politician and author who was implicated in the Earl of Bothwell's attack on Holyrood Palace, and was outlawed with the earl, he died in exile...
James Colville (1551-1629), 1st Lord Colville of Culross in 1604
William Colvill, (Colville) (died 1675), a Scottish clergyman and scholar and was the Principal of the University of Edinburgh (1662 to 1675)

Migration of the Colvill family to Ireland

Some of the Colvill 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.

Colvill migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Colvill name or one of its variants:

Colvill Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Colvill, who arrived in New England in 1691 4

Colvill Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Matuerin Colvill, who settled in Charles Town (Charleston), South Carolina in 1762

Colvill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Eliza Colvill, who landed in New York in 1822 4
George Colvill, who arrived in New York in 1822 4
Jane Colvill, who arrived in New York in 1822 4
Margaret Colvill, who landed in New York in 1822 4
William Colvill, who landed in New York in 1822 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Colvill migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Colvill Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Colvill, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Colvill 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:

Colvill Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Colvill, aged 25, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
Miss Alice Colvill, (b. 1887), aged 8 months, Cornish settler departing on 31st December 1887 aboard the ship "Ionic" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 16th February 1888 5
Miss Beatrice Colvill, (b. 1885), aged 2, Cornish settler departing on 31st December 1887 aboard the ship "Ionic" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 16th February 1888 5
Mrs. Ellen Colvill, (b. 1857), aged 30, Cornish settler departing on 31st December 1887 aboard the ship "Ionic" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 16th February 1888 5
Miss Ethel Colvill, (b. 1883), aged 4, Cornish settler departing on 31st December 1887 aboard the ship "Ionic" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 16th February 1888 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Colvill (post 1700) +

Hugh Colvill Goldsmith (1789-1841), British lieutenant in the navy, son of Henry, son of the eldest brother of Oliver Goldsmith the author 6

Historic Events for the Colvill family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Edward Colvill, British Lead Writer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 7

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
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 Wellington 1872-1880 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nz_wellington.pdf
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html