Mordell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Mordell came to England with the ancestors of the Mordell family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the popular medieval given name Martin. It derives from the Latin Martinus, which comes from Mars, the Roman God of War.

Early Origins of the Mordell family

The surname Mordell was first found in Essex where they held a family seat from at Abbess Roding. One of the most famous early references of the surname was William Martel (1130-1153), English steward of the royal households of King Henry I and King Stephen of England, castellan of Sherborne Castle until 1143. Some of the family were found at Whaddon in Buckinghamshire in early times. " A small priory of Benedictine monks, in honour of St. Leonard, was founded in this parish, at Snelleshall, prior to the time of Henry III., by Ralph Martel, and at the Dissolution had a revenue of £24." 1

Early History of the Mordell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mordell research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1143, 1153 and 1204 are included under the topic Early Mordell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mordell Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Martel, Mortel, Martell, Mortell and others.

Early Notables of the Mordell family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mordell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mordell family to Ireland

Some of the Mordell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mordell family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Mordell name or one of its variants: K. Martell who settled in Boston in 1823; Antonio Martel settled in New Orleans in 1778 with Francesca his wife and children; Nicholas Martel settled in Louisiana in 1719..