Norville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Norville was originally a habitation name, that is, a surname derived from a place-name. The Norville family took the name of a town of Normanville in the French province of Normandy, prior to emigration to Britain.
"This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Normanville,' a name exactly corresponding to English Normanby and Normanton. Lower says, The Itinerary de la Normandie shows two places so called, one near Yvetot, and the other in the arrondissement of Evreux'" 1
Early Origins of the Norville family
The surname Norville was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland, where they held a family seat being descended from John of Normanville in Yvetot in Normandy.
Conjecturally, this John was granted lands by King David of Scotland while he was Earl of Huntingdon in England. "John de Normanville witnessed a grant by Bernerd de Hauden to the Hospital of Soltre between 1190-1230, and between 1221-1231 he witnessed the grant of the church of Lympetlaw to the same house. He also gave part of Maxtone to Melrose Abbey. Hugh de Normanville and Alicia, his wife, exchanged some land with the monks of Melrose in the reign of William the Lion, and in 1200 he made a similar exchange with the monks of Dryburgh. Dominus Thomas de Normaniuill and dominus Johannes de Normaniuill witnessed quit claim to the lands of Eduluestun to the church of Glasgow, 1233. Sir Walran of Normanville had a grant in 1242 of the lands of Correncrare, Tulichule, and others. Several Normanvilles in the reign of Alexander II, younger sons, filled the office of secular rectors of cherches. Wydo (Guldo) de Norinanuilla was charter witness, 1250, William de Normanville was rector of the church of Mackistun, c. 1250, Sir Waleran de Normanville was buried at Melrose, 1256, and Thomas de Normanville presided at an inquest on the lands of Hopkelchoc, 1259. Alexander de Normanville witnessed a charter by James the Seneschal of Scotland, 1294, and Walranus de Normanuilla, miles, was charter witness at Arnbroath, 1299 (RAA., I, p. 165). Robert de Normanville of Stirlingshire rendered homage, 1296." 2
Early History of the Norville family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Norville research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1242 and 1605 are included under the topic Early Norville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Norville Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Normanville, Normanmile, Normanvill, Normansvill, Normanswell, Normansell, Norvell, Norval, Norvall, Norvill, Norville, Norvel, Norvell, Norvyle, Norwald, Norwell, Norvaile and many more.
Early Notables of the Norville family
More information is included under the topic Early Norville Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Norville migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Norville Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Sa Norville, who landed in Virginia in 1664 3
Norville Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Wm. Norville, who landed in America, in 1908
- Ralph Norville, aged 1, who landed in America from Panama, Panama, in 1917
- Wilbert Norville, aged 5, who settled in America from Panama, Panama, in 1917
- Edward Norville, aged 31, who immigrated to America, in 1920
- J. Norville, aged 19, who landed in America, in 1920
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Norville (post 1700) +
- Deborah Norville (b. 1958), American television broadcaster and journalist
- W. N. Norville, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Missouri 2nd District, 1884 4
- Jason Norville (b. 1983), Trinidadian footballer
The Norville 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: Spem renovant alae
Motto Translation: Its wings renew its hope.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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)
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html