The ancestors of the Earnsall surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in or near a woods where golden eagles lived. Earnsall is a compound of the Old English words earn and sceaga.Earn was the Old English name for the golden eagles, and sceaga was a word that meant forest or wilderness. The original bearer of this name must have lived in or near a woods noted for its eagle population. Interestingly, the modern word erne is the name of the sea eagle, a related but separate species of bird to the golden eagle. Golden eagles are very rare in the British Isles today, but in the Middle Ages they were a common bird of prey. Their range was in the northern part of the island, and they were particularly fond of mountainous terrain. Most golden eagles were found in the Pennines and in the Scottish Highlands.
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Early Origins of the Earnsall family
The surname Earnsall was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
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Early History of the Earnsall family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Earnsall research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1316 is included under the topic Early Earnsall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Earnsall Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Earnsall include Earnshaw, Earnshawe, Ernshaw, Earnshay and others.
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Early Notables of the Earnsall family
More information is included under the topic Early Earnsall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Earnsall family
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Mary, Anna, and Ann Ernshaw who arrived in Philadelphia in 1820; Eli Earnshaw arrived in Philadelphia in 1848; Francis, George, and Lewis Earnshaw arrived in Philadelphia in 1860.
England
