Purslow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the Purslow family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Purslow, in Shropshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Pussa and the Old English word hlaw. A hlaw is a burial mound; in Modern English the word for a burial mound is tumulus, which is derived from Latin. The place-name as a whole means "burial mound of a man named Pussa."

Early Origins of the Purslow family

The surname Purslow was first found in Shropshire at Purslow, a hamlet that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Possalau. The place name is derived from the Old English words personal name + hlaw, and literally means "tumulus (mound of earth and stones) of a man called Pussa." 1 Of interest is a certain Robert Parslow. " It is traditionally said that a military chest of money was left at the house of Robert Parslow, in the town [of Watlington in Oxfordshire], and never afterwards claimed, in consequence of which he bequeathed a liberal donation to the poor of the parish." 2

Early History of the Purslow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Purslow research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1533, 1558, 1559, 1563 and 1579 are included under the topic Early Purslow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purslow Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Purslow include Purslow, Purseglove, Purselove, Pursley, Pursly and others.

Early Notables of the Purslow family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Nicholas Purslow (by 1533-1563), of the Inner Temple, London, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Appleby in 1558 and Morpeth in 1559

Purslow migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled 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 ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Purslow or a variant listed above:

Purslow Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Purslow (Purslone) arrived in Philadelphia in 1677
John Purslow, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1677 3

Purslow Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Purslow, aged 48, who arrived in America, in 1894

Purslow Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Martha Purslow, aged 49, who arrived in America from Birmingham, England, in 1906
William Bruce Purslow, aged 24, who arrived in America from Stockfort, England, in 1915
William Purslow, aged 25, who arrived in America, in 1917
Thomas Purslow, aged 15, who arrived in America, in 1919
Mamie J. Purslow, aged 33, who arrived in America from Birkenhead, England, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Purslow (post 1700) +

Christian Mark Cecil Purslow (b. 1963), British-born businessman, co-founder of private equity firm MidOcean Partners, former managing director of Liverpool Football Club

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)