Contents [hide]

Cadell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Cadell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Cadell was first used as a surname by descendants of the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. The ancestors of the Cadell family lived at or near the wooded stream derived from the Gaelic word coillie, a wood and dur which means stream.

Early Origins of the Cadell family

The surname Cadell was first found in Banffshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhanbh), former Scottish county located in the northeasterly Grampian region of Scotland, now of divided between the Council Areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire.

One source notes, "the northern Cawdors were disguised as Cadells and de Cadella even in old Scots chroniclers, and they have kept that variety permanently in the South. " 1

Further to the south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Cristina Caudel, Cambridgeshire; William Caudel, Cambridgeshire; and (Prior) de Caudewelle, Bedfordshire. 2

"Cadel was a surname in Oxfordshire and Sussex at the close of the 13th century." 3

Cadell (d. 909), was "King of Ceredigion and afterwards of Powys, one of the six warlike sons of Rhodri Mawr, the most powerful of the early Welsh kings. He was Rhodri's eldest son, and received as his patrimony Ceredigion, with the palace at Dinevwr, and an overlordship over his other brothers. " 4

Cadell (d. 943), was a Welsh prince, the son of Arthvael, who was the son of Hywel. Cadell (d. 1175), was a South Welsh prince, the son of Gruffudd, the son of Rhys, the son of Tewdwr. 4

Early History of the Cadell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cadell research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1536, 1558 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Cadell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cadell Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Cadell has appeared Cadell, Caddell, Cadel, Cadwell and others.

Early Notables of the Cadell family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Hector Cadell

Migration of the Cadell family to Ireland

Some of the Cadell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cadell migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Cadell:

Cadell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Cadell, who landed in Maryland in 1638-1643 5
Zacharias Cadell, who landed in Maryland in 1680 5

Cadell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth Cadell, who arrived in New England in 1767
John Cadell, who arrived in New York in 1774

Cadell migration to Australia +

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

Cadell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Cadell, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Mr. John Cadell, (b. 1812), aged 26, Cornish mason, from Egloshayle, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Andromache" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st January 1839 7
Mrs. Mary Anne Cadell, (b. 1809), aged 29, Cornish general servant, from St. Breock, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Andromache" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st January 1839 7
Mr. William Henry Cadell, (b. 1836), aged 3, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Andromache" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st January 1839 7
Mr. John Cadell, (b. 1837), aged 2, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Andromache" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 31st January 1839, he died on board 7

Cadell migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Cadell Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Cadell who settled in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Cadell (post 1700) +

G. E. A. Cadell, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Cebu, 1898 9
Robert Cadell (1788-1849), Scottish publisher, a cadet of the family of Cadell of Cockenzie, East Lothian, and born there on 16 Dec. 1788 10
Jessie Cadell (1844-1884), Scottish novelist and Orientalist, born in Scotland 23 Aug. 1844 10
Thomas Cadell (1835-1919), Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross
Francis Cadell (1822-1879), Scottish explorer of Australia
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell (1883-1937), Scottish painter
William Archibald Cadell (1775-1855), English traveller and mathematician, the eldest son of William Cadell, the original managing partner and one of the founders of the Carron Ironworks 10
Thomas Cadell the Elder (1742-1802), English bookseller and publisher, born of poor parents in Wine Street, Bristol 10
Francis Cadell (1822-1879), Australian explorer, born at Cockenzie, near Prestonpans, February 1822, son of H. F. Cadell 10
Jean Cadell (1884-1967), Scottish character actress, Meryn Cadell, Canadian singer, Simon Cadell (1950–1996), British actor
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Cadell 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: Vigilantia non cadet
Motto Translation: Vigilance will not miscarry.

Citations +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_bounty_nsw.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Oct. 2019