Kestle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Atlantic Ocean to the north and west and the English Channel to the south borders Cornwall, the homeland to the Kestle family name. Even though the usage of surnames was common during the Middle Ages, all English people were known only by a single name in early times. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. The Kestle family originally lived in the county of Cornwall, in the village of Kestell.

Early Origins of the Kestle family

The surname Kestle was first found in Cornwall, where the family are known to have been resident at Kestell, in the parish of Egoshayle from the time of King John till the year 1737. 1

"The manor of Kestell or Kestle in the [parish of Manccan, Cornwall], was formerly the property of a family thus named, and on which they had their seat. This family becoming extinct in the male line in 1719, the barton passed in moieties with two daughters, who married Langford and Penrose. " 2 Now known as Kestle and Kestle Mill, these hamlets are just south of Quintrell Downs.

"The manor of Pendavy, [in the parish of Egloshayle] which was formerly connected with the priory of Bodmin, was afterwards the property of the Kestel family, from whom it passed by marriage to that of Moyle, and by this family it was sold to the Usticks, by whom it was possessed in the days of Hals. It is now the property of Sir A. O. Molesworth. Kestel, which is so called from its having had on some of its lands, a camp, castle, or intrenchment, belonged so early as the reign of King John, to a family bearing its own name. In this family it continued until the year 1734, when it was sold by James Kestel, Esq." 2

Early History of the Kestle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kestle research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1216, 1272, 1307, 1700 and 1737 are included under the topic Early Kestle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kestle Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and 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 of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Kestle, Kestell, Kestel, Kestelle, Kessel, Kessal and many more.

Early Notables of the Kestle family

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

Kestle migration to the United States +

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Kestle:

Kestle Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hermann Kestle, aged 16, who arrived in New York in 1854 3

Kestle Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Henry Kestle, (b. 1880), aged 24, Cornish blacksmith travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th May 1904 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 4
Mr. William Kestle, (b. 1881), aged 23, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th May 1904 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 4
Mr. Harry Kestle, (b. 1879), aged 26, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Norway, Michigan, USA 4

Kestle migration to Australia +

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

Kestle Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Kestle, (b. 1817), aged 20 born in Bodmin, Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 24th March 1837, sentenced for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Susan" in 1837 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 5
Mr. Richard Kestle, (b. 1817), aged 20, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 24th March 1837, sentenced for 14 years for stealing from Thomas Halls and Richard Collins, transported aboard the ship "Susan" on 29th July 1837 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 6
Isaac Kestle, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Success" in 1848 7
Mr. Richard Kestle, (b. 1828), aged 21, Cornish butcher and farm labourer from Gwennap, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Petrel" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 19th November 1849 8
Miss Jane Kestle, (b. 1831), aged 18, Cornish house servant from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Petrel" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 19th November 1849 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
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_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SUCCESS 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Success.htm
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf