Lyall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Scotland 
  Ireland 


Early Origins of the Lyall family

The surname Lyall was first found in Oxfordshire at Shirburn, a parish, in the union of Thame, hundred of Pirton. "This place was the property of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, and passed to Alice, wife of Warine de L'lsle, whose descendant of the same name obtained from Edward III. licence to embattle his house here. Shirburn Castle, the seat of the Earl of Macclesfield, is surrounded by a moat, over which is a drawbridge; it contains a noble hall, an armoury, and a suite of splendid apartments, with a fine collection of paintings, including a portrait of Catherine Parr, wife of Henry VIII." 1

The same Alice de Lisle, (note spelling change) was lady of the manor of Alwarton, in 1332. 2 "The family are descended from Radulphus de Insula, temp. William the Conqueror." 3

This name is one of the very few names that traces back to the Domesday Book of 1086. There the Latin form of the name: Hunfridus de Insula in Warwickshire was found. 4 Moreover, this is one of the very few forename and surname entries found there as in most cases only a surname was in use at that time. Later we found Peter de Isla in Yorkshire in 1166 and later again, Robert del Ille was listed as a Freeman of York in 1311. 5

"Isle is a common French place-name and the surname may sometimes derive from Lille (Nord), but it may also be of English origin. Robert de Insula, Bishop of Durham in 1274, was the son of poor crofters at Lindisfarne and took his name from Holy Isle." 5

Some of the family later held estates at Dibden in Southampton. "The church, a very ancient structure, has been thoroughly repaired and repewed, at a cost of £500, and some windows of painted glass have been inserted; it contains monuments to the Lisle family, who were lords of the manor, and of whom Lady Lisle was condemned to death by Judge Jeffries (Jeffreys)." 1

Despite the aforementioned, Scotland has traditionally held the lion's share of the family and most people claim descent from there as "a family of this name were barons of Duchal in Renfrewshire as early as the beginning of the thirteenth century. They were of the same stock as the Northumberland family of 'de Insula' (as the name appears in Latin) or 'Lisle' (de Lisle, Delisle in French). The first of the name in Scotland appears to have been Radulphus or Ralph de Insula, a follower of the Steward, who witnessed the gift by Baldwin de Bigre, sheriff of Lanharc (Lanark), of the church of Innerkyp to the monks of Paisley, c. 1170." 6

Early History of the Lyall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lyall research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1058, 1296, 1610, 1617, 1632, 1659, 1664, 1685, 1716, 1767, 1788, 1790, 1795, 1797, 1801, 1805, 1809, 1810, 1825, 1831, 1849, 1853, 1857, 1865, 1875 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lyall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyall Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lyle, Lille, Lile, Lisle, Lyall, Lyal, Lyel and many more.

Early Notables of the Lyall family

Notable among the family at this time was Sir John Lisle (1610-1664), an English lawyer and politician who supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War, one of the Regicides of King Charles I of England, he was assassinated by an agent of the crown while in...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lyall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyall Ranking

In the United States, the name Lyall is the 12,789th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Lyall family to Ireland

Some of the Lyall family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Lyall migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Lyall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Lyall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lyall migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyall Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Lyall migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lyall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Lyall migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lyall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Lyall (post 1700) +


The Lyall Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sedulo et honeste
Motto Translation: Diligently and honestly.
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