Today's generation of the Castelan family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Castelan family lived in Yorkshire. The family was originally from Chastelai, Normandy, and the name Castelan is derived from this place-name.
The surname Castelan was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Castelan research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1532, 1550, and 1700 are included under the topic Early Castelan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Castelan were recorded, including Casserly, Casserley, Casserlay, Castlelaw, Casserlaw, Casterline, Chastelyn, Casteldein and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Castelan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Castelan arrived in North America very early: