Grindell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Grindell is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived at Grindall, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Bridlington, wapentake of Dickering in the East Riding of Yorkshire. 1 2 3 4 The place name literally means "green valley." 5

Alternatively the name could have been derived from "Grindel and Grendel which were Anglo Saxon personal names [cp. Old English (poet.) grindel, a bar, bolt] Grendel was the name of the ogre killed by Beówulf." 6

Early Origins of the Grindell family

The surname Grindell was first found in Worcestershire where AEdricus Grendal was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1180. Other early rolls include: Robert de Grenedala in the Yorkshire Pipe Rolls of 1166; Walter de Grendale in the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire in 1242; Stephen, Benedict de Grindale in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297 and again in the Subsidy Rolls for Cumbria in 1332. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listing for the family: Roger de Grendale, Huntingdonshire; and Walter de Grendale, Yorkshire. 2

Early History of the Grindell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grindell research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1519, 1536, 1537, 1538, 1548 and 1583 are included under the topic Early Grindell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grindell Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Grindell has been spelled many different ways, including Grindall, Grindal, Grindle, Grindell, Grindel and others.

Early Notables of the Grindell family

Notables of the family at this time include Edmund Grindal (c.1519-1583), Bishop of London, Archbishop of York and Archbishop of Canterbury. He was "s the son of William Grindal, a well-to-do farmer who lived at Hensingham, in the parish of St. Bees, Cumberland, a district which Grindal himself described as 'the ignorantest part in religion, and most oppressed of covetous landlords of anyone part of this realm'. He went at an early age to Cambridge, where he entered first at Magdalene College, and then removed to Christ's College...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Grindell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Grindell migration to Australia +

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

Grindell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Richard Grindell, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on April 16, 1855, settling in Western Australia 7

Grindell 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:

Grindell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Grindell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Look-in

Contemporary Notables of the name Grindell (post 1700) +

Marshal Grindell, American actor, known for Haley (2011)
Margaret Grindell, American actress, known for Lux Video Theatre (1950) and Goodyear Playhouse (1951)
John Leroy "Roy" Grindell (1882-1948), American businessman, historian, and politician from Marion, Iowa
Thomas F. Grindell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Arizona Territory, 1900 8
Harry Grindell Matthews (1880-1941), English inventor from Winterbourne, Gloucestershire who claimed to have invented a death ray in the 1920s

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Western Australia, Australia in 1855 with 261 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1855
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, July 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html