Show ContentsBootle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bootle Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Bootle

What does the name Bootle mean?

Today's generation of the Bootle family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bootle family lived at Bootle in the suburbs of Liverpool, Lancashire. "The name of this place, formerly written "Bothill," is supposed to be derived from the booths erected on a hill above the town, for the watchmen whose duty it was to light the beacon on its summit, upon the discovery of any ships in the Irish Channel which might appear to threaten a descent upon the coast." 1

Early Origins of the Bootle family

The surname Bootle was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Conjecturally they are descended from Count Roger de Poitou, of Poitou. He was the son of Earl Roger of Poitou, who was one of the Norman nobles in the Battle of Hastings. The name of the hamlet was anciently Boltelai. The Count Poitou (Pictaviens) held Boltelai and numerous other Lordships in Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. He is recorded in the Domesday Book taken in 1086 A.D. "Four thanes at the time of the Domesday Survey held 'Boltelai' as four manors." 1

This hamlet later became known as Bootle and ironically, at this time there is no record of any habitation known as Liverpool of which Bootle is now a Borough.

Early rolls had few entries for the name. In fact, the first entries were in the 16th century where the Lancashire Wills at Richmond listed: Matthew Bootle, Lancashire, a scrviniman, 1595; and Thomas Bootle, of Tatham, Lancashire, 1598. A few years later, the Preston Guild Rolls listed Thomas Bootell, Lancashire, 1602; and William Bootell, Lancashire, 1602. 2

Further to the north in Scotland, Buittle is a parish, in the stewartry of Kirkcud-bright. "This place is of great antiquity, and there are still some remains of its castle, supposed to have been the principal seat of the ancient lords of Galloway. The parish, of which the name is of very uncertain derivation." 3

Early History of the Bootle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bootle research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1592, 1662, 1715 and 1796 are included under the topic Early Bootle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bootle Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Bootle were recorded, including Butil, Butill, Butel, Bootell, Bootle, Buthill and others.

Early Notables of the Bootle family

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

Bootle migration to Australia +

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

First Fleet
  • Mr. John Bootle, (1774 - 1830), aged 12, British settler convicted in Somerset, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for house breaking, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bootle (post 1700) +

  • William Augustus "Gus" Bootle (1902-2005), American attorney and jurist, who helped oversee desegregation, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (1972-2005), Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Georgia (1954-1972)
  • Edward Bootle -Wilbraham (b. 1837), 1st Earl of Lathom, British landowner and politician who served three times as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under Lord Salisbury
  • Edward Bootle -Wilbraham (1771-1853), 1st Baron Skelmersdale, British landowner and politician
  • Stanley Bootle (1929-2014), known as Stan Kelly-Bootle or Stan Kelly, a British author, academic, singer-songwriter and computer scientist from Liverpool, Lancashire
  • Roger Bootle (b. 1952), British economist and a weekly columnist for The Daily Telegraph from Watford, Hertfordshire, Chairman of Capital Economics, awarded the Wolfson Economics Prize in 2012
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships

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