Show ContentsWartal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Wartal was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wartal family lived in Cheshire, at the village of Wardle.

Early Origins of the Wartal family

The surname Wartal was first found in Cheshire at Wardle, a township, in the parish of Bunbury, union of Nantwich, first division of the hundred of Eddisbury. 1 The township dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Warhelle. 2 By 1184, the village was known as Wardle. Literally the place name means "watch or look-out hill," from the Old English words "weard" + "hyll." 3 There is also a village named Wardle in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, in Greater Manchester and this village dates back to c. 1193 when it was first listed as Wardhul. Some of the first records of the family appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, specifically: Richard de Wardle in Lincolnshire; and Nicholas de Werdhyl in Lancashire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Johannes de Wardale. 4 Up in Scotland, the name was "of local origin, probably from Wartle in the parish of Lumphanan" 5 in Aberdeen. This latter reference was in 1696, hundreds of years after the aforementioned English listings.

Early History of the Wartal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wartal research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1683, 1684 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Wartal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wartal 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 Wardle, Wardell and others.

Early Notables of the Wartal family

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

Migration of the Wartal 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 Wartal or a variant listed above: Christopher Wardle who settled in Barbados in 1679 with his servants; William Wardle arrived in Pennsylvania in 1685; Thomas Wardle arrived in Philadelphia in 1818..



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)


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