Trushell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Trushell reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Trushell family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest in 1066. Trushell is a name for a packer. The name was originally derived from the Old French word trousser, meaning to package.

In France, "Guido Trussel was a distinguished Crusader 1096. He was Lord of Montcheri, and Seneschal of France. Osbert Trussel in 1165 held a fief from the Earl of Warwick, and Fulco de Trussel one in Norfolk from the see of Ely 1. William T., son of Osbert, was a benefactor to Sulby Abbey, Northamptonshire." 2

Two villages are named Trussell in England: Marston Trussell, a village and civil parish in the Daventry district in Northamptonshire; and Acton Trussell a village in Staffordshire. Richard Trussell was lord of the manor Marston Trussell Hall in 1233, but the Trussells of Marston died out in the 14th century and the Hall later became the family seat of a Bennett family.

Early Origins of the Trushell family

The surname Trushell was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat at Billesley. "Milo de Brai, father of Hugh Trussel, married c. 1070, Litheuil, Viscountess of Troyes; and c. 1064 founded Longport Abbey, Normandy. Guido Trussel was a distinguished Crusader 1096. He was Lord of Montcheri and Seneschal of France." 2

"The most distinguished personage of the name was the famous [Sir] William Trussell, who was in such estimation with the [House of] Commons in convention assembled, as to be chosen their organ [representative] to pronounce the deposition of the unfortunate Edward II." 3

"An ancient Norman family, located, in the reign of Henry I., in Warwickshire. The baronage mentions, as of this family, Richard Trussel, who fell at the battle of Evesham, temp. Henry III." 4

"Trussell is the name of a distinguished Northamptonshire family of the 14th and 15th centuries, now rarely represented in the county, that hailed originally from Billesley, Warwickshire, in the 12th century." 5

"In 1844 was found, without the walls of the present churchyard [of Billesley, Warwickshire], a stone coffin, containing a head, supposed to be that of a member of the Trussell family (anciently connected with the parish) who was slain at the battle of Evesham." 6

Early History of the Trushell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trushell research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1195, 1221, 1265, 1318, 1319, 1322, 1326, 1330, 1342, 1620 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Trushell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trushell Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Trussel, Trussell, Trussele, Trusselle and others.

Early Notables of the Trushell family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Trussel or Trussell sometimes styled Baron Trussell (fl. 1330), son of Edmund Trussel of Peatling in Leicestershire and Cubblesdon in Staffordshire. "He was pardoned as one of the adherents of Thomas of Lancaster on 1 Nov. 1318, and was returned as knight of the shire for Northampton in 1319. Both he and his son were in arms with...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Trushell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Trushell family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Trushell or a variant listed above: John Trussell who settled in Virginia in 1622; Ann Trussell who landed in America in 1761; and Franklin Trussell landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1867..

Citations +

Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.