Glanvill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Glanvill family name to the British Isles. They lived in Suffolk. The name however, is not a reference to this place, but to the family's place of residence sometime prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Glanville, near Calvados, Normandy. 1

The Glanville variant dates back to Ranulf de Glanville (d. 1190), Chief Justiciar of England. "His family, which probably derived its name from Glanville, near Lisieux, seems to have settled in Suffolk at or soon after the Norman Conquest, and to have become moderately wealthy. Ranulf, it is said, was born at Stratford, that is at Stratford St. Andrew, near Saxmundham. " 2

Bartholomew de Glanville (fl. 1230-1250), was "the name erroneously given to Bartholomew Anglicus or the Englishman." 2

Gilbert de Glanville (d. 1214), was Bishop of Rochester, and a kinsman of Ranulf de Glanville [q. v.], and a native of Northumberland. 2

Early Origins of the Glanvill family

The surname Glanvill was first found in Suffolk an Norfolk. Bromeholme in the parish of Bacton in Norfolk was an ancient family seat established shortly after the Norman Conquest. "A priory for Cluniac monks, dedicated to St. Andrew, was founded in 1113, by William de Glanvill, and for some time subsisted as a cell to the monastery at Castle Acre." 3 Again in Suffolk, but this time in Leiston, Ranulph de Glanville endowed the monastery there in honour of the Virgin Mary in 1182.

Devon was an ancient homestead to the family as "Harwell was a seat of the Glanvilles for some three centuries before they removed to Kilworthy." 4

Early History of the Glanvill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Glanvill research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1586, 1600, 1636, 1640, 1645, 1652, 1661, 1664, 1680 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Glanvill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Glanvill Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Glanfield, Glanville, Glenville and others.

Early Notables of the Glanvill family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Glanvill (1664?-1735), English poet and translator, born at Broad Hinton, Wiltshire, about 1664, the son of Julius Glanvil of Lincoln's Inn. 2
Joseph Glanvill (1636-1680), was an English divine, third son of Nicholas Glanvill of Halwell, Whitchurch, Devonshire, was born at Plymouth in 1636, and entered Exeter College, Oxford, 2 April 1652. (...
Sir John Glanville the Elder (1542-1600), was an English jurist, second son of John Glanville of Tavistock, and raised as an attorney

Glanvill migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Glanvill or a variant listed above:

Glanvill Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Glanvill, who landed in Maryland in 1668 5

Glanvill migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Glanvill Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Glanvill, (b. 1815), aged 22, Cornish farmer, from St. Columb, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "City of Edinburgh" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st August 1837 6
Mr. Daniel Glanvill, (b. 1818), aged 19, Cornish farmer, from St. Columb, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Andromache" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st August 1837 6
Miss Harriet Glanvill, (b. 1809), aged 28, Cornish dressmaker, from St. Columb, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Andromache" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st August 1837 6
Mr. George Glanvill (Glanville), (b. 1812), aged 25, Cornish clerk, from Maker, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Amelia Thompson" arriving in New South Wales, Australia in January 1838 6

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
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 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf