Tilyoll History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Tilyoll originated in Tilliol, near Rouen, Normandy. "Honfroi du Tilleul" is on the Dives Roll, and was the first Castellan of the new fortress at Hastings, which was, as Ordericus tells us, placed under his charge "from the very day when it began to arise." 1

"Robert de Roelent or Rhuddlan (so named from a castle in Wales), is one of the potentates entered in that record. "He had been one of the Norman favourites of Edward the Confessor, and had held what one would think must have been the sinecure office of armour-bearer to the Saint. He held of the King a district bearing the vague but sounding title of North Wales, the boundaries of which it was perhaps discreet not to define more exactly. The Earl of Chester, who had to wage a constant war with the Welsh, found an able helper in Robert, who bears the title of Marquess in its primitive sense, as one of the first Lord Marchers of the Welsh border. On the site of King Gruffydd's palace of Rhuddlan, the palace which was burned by Harold as the earnest of his great Welsh campaign, a castle and town arose, from which the Marquess Robert carried on for fifteen years a constant warfare with his British neighbours." 1

Early Origins of the Tilyoll family

The surname Tilyoll was first found in Cumberland at Scaleby, a parish, in the union of Longtown, Eskdale ward. "Richard Tilliol, called Richard the Rider, received a grant of this territory from Henry I., and built a castle here with materials brought from the Picts' wall." 2

The Tilliols of Cumberland must have belonged to this family; but I have no means of elucidating the question of their descent. It is possible that their ancestor, "Richard the Rider, whose surname was Tilliol," was the same person as Richard de Roelent, mentioned above. In any case, he received from Henry I. the manor of Scaleby, to be held of the crown by cornage; he also held Solport of the barony of Lyddal; and Richardby, in the barony of Linstock, near Carlisle, of the Bishop of Carlisle. "At this Richardby Richard the Rider seated himself, whereupon it was so called after his name; and the gate, port, and street in Carlisle leading thither, is from thence called Richardgate, or Richardby Gate: in old evidences, vicus Richardi. At that time the Scots did tyrannize over the country next adjoining them, which enforced the gentlemen to dwell in Carlisle, and therefore every man provided himself to be served with corn, soyle, and hay, as nigh the city as they might."-Hutchinson's Cumberland.

"In addition to their large Cumberland estate, the Tilliols held lands in West Hatfield, Holderness, "thro' a long series of descents;" but in 1346 the Fee of Tilliol had been transferred to the Hiltons. They often appear as Sheriffs of Cumberland: Sir Piers and Sir Robert de Tilliol each served three times under Edward III.: the former on his accession in 1327 and the two following years; and another Sir Piers filled the same office even oftener - twice under Richard II., and twice under Henry IV. " 1

Sir Peter Tilliol, (Peter de Tilliol) (1299-1348) was an English landowner, politician and judge, High Sheriff of Cumberland, and served briefly as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was born at Scaleby Castle, Cumberland and was the son of Sir Robert de Tilliol (died 1320) and Maud de Lascelles.

Early History of the Tilyoll family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tilyoll research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Tilyoll History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tilyoll 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 Tylyoll, Tilyoll, Tilloll, Tyloll, Tiloll, Tilall and many more.

Early Notables of the Tilyoll family

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

Migration of the Tilyoll 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 Tilyoll name or one of its variants: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.