Show ContentsGuildersile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Guildersile was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Guildersile family lived in the place called Gomersal in Western Yorkshire, which derived its name from the Old English personal name Gudmoer and the Old English word halh.

The name Gudmoer was composed of the elements gud, which means battle, and moer, which means fame. The word halh means nook or recess. 1 This name was therefore formed under the Old English naming system, which gradually dissolved after the Norman Conquest. At this time, Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The surnames in England that were found shortly after the Norman Conquest were usually of Norman French rather than native English origins.

Early Origins of the Guildersile family

The surname Guildersile was first found in Yorkshire in the West Riding where they held a family seat at Gomershale, 2 later to become known as Gomersal. A knight's fee granted by William the Conqueror to Gilbert de Lacy was the first record of the place name from whom conjecturally the Gomersalls were descended. The grant of lands also included a mill and a manor at that time.

Today Gomersal is a village in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire and not that long ago was originally known as Great Gomersal and Little Gomersal.

Early History of the Guildersile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guildersile research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1616, 1628 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Guildersile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guildersile Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Guildersile have been found, including Gomersal, Gomersall, Gommersal, Gommersall, Gomershall and many more.

Early Notables of the Guildersile family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Roberts Gomersall (1602-1646?), English dramatist and divine, born in London in 1602. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford, 19 April 1616. "Having taken holy orders he ‘became a very florid preacher in the university’ (Wood). In...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guildersile Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Guildersile family

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Guildersile were among those contributors: William Gomersall arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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