Hasel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hasel family

The surname Hasel was first found in Cheshire at Hassall, a village and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East which dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Etshale as land held by William Malbank. At that time it was part of the Middlewich Hundred and was land enough for two ploughs. 1 2

The place name literally means "the witch's nook of land" derived from the Old English haegtesse + halh. By the 13th century, the place name had evolved to be spelt Hatishale. 3

Hassall Hall is a former manor house to the east of the village and dates from the 17th century. It was upgraded in the 19th century and has since been divided into two houses. Today, the buildings are designated by the English Heritage as a Grade II listed buildings. Hassall Green is a village in the civil parish of Betchton, near Hassall.

"The ancient family of Hassall or Hassell possessed the lordship of the manor of the name as far back as the reign of Edward II.; in later times a branch has established itself in Nantwich." 4

The first record of the family was found in Oxfordshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, John de Hassett. It was not until 1299 when we find a Cheshire entry, that of Henry de Hasshal, there in 1299. 5

Early History of the Hasel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hasel research. Another 145 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1045, 1510, 1600, 1627, 1644, 1650, 1655, 1667, 1680, 1690, 1701 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Hasel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hasel 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 Hassall, Hassel, Hassell, Hasell, Hasel, Hassal, Hassul and many more.

Early Notables of the Hasel family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edward Hassall or Halsall (fl. 1667), English Royalist, born about 1627, probably a member of an old family seated at Halsall, near Ormskirk, Lancashire. "He fought in the defence of Lathom House in 1644, and was wounded. Hassall, who attained the rank of major, was one of the four cavaliers who, on 5 June 1650, assassinated Anthony Ascham [q. v.] at Madrid (Cal. Clarendon State Papers, ii. 63, 220, 343). He was imprisoned there for four months, but in October was released, and went to England to act as a spy on the...
Another 171 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hasel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hasel migration to the United States +

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 Hasel or a variant listed above:

Hasel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Wilhelm Hasel, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 6

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)