Anketell is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Anketell family lived in Anctiville, Normandy, in the diocese of Coutances. The Anketell family migrated to England in the 11th century, settling in the county of Dorset.
The surname Anketell was first found in the county of Dorset, in England, but for earlier origins the family can be traced to Tebotvilla in Normandy, where their territories were known as Weedon Beck. They accompanied Duke William of Normandy into England in 1066 and were granted lands in Dorset.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anketell research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1901 and 1636 are included under the topic Early Anketell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Anketill, Ankatell, Anketil, Ankatel, Anchetill, Anchetell and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Anketell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Anketell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Anketell name or one of its variants: