Warthale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Warthale is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Warthale family lived in Cheshire, at the village of Wardle.

Early Origins of the Warthale family

The surname Warthale 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 Warthale family

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

Warthale Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Wardle, Wardell and others.

Early Notables of the Warthale family

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

Migration of the Warthale family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Warthale 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..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)