Show ContentsEmsale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Emsale family

The surname Emsale was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Embsay, with Eastby, a township, in the parish and union of Skipton, E. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross. "This place was distinguished for its priory, founded in 1120, for Augustine canons, by William de Meschines and his wife Cecilia de Romili, and which, after flourishing for about thirty years, was removed by their daughter Adeliza to Bolton: a chapel was continued long after its removal. " 1

Early History of the Emsale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Emsale research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1631 is included under the topic Early Emsale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Emsale Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Embsay, Empsall, Empsay, Empshall, Emsall, Empsall, Emsay, Empsale, Embsale, Emsale, Elmsall, Elmsay, Hemshall, Hempshall, Hempsale, Hempsall and many more.

Early Notables of the Emsale family

More information is included under the topic Early Emsale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Emsale family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Emsale or a variant listed above: settlers were recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled on the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Boston, to Virginia, to Florida, and to the islands..



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


Houseofnames.com on Facebook