Chell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Chell

What does the name Chell mean?

Chell is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the township of Chell, in the parish of Wolstanton, union of Wolstanton and Burslem, N. division of the hundred of Pirehill in Staffordshire. 1 The surname Chell belongs to the category of habitation names, which were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Chell family

The surname Chell was first found in Staffordshire, at one of the two townsteads, called Great or Little Chell. 2 "The village, which is seated on an eminence, and on the road from Newcastle to Congleton, is chiefly occupied by potters. " 1

"In the 13th century there were persons of the name of Chelle in Warwickshire, and of the names of Chel and Chele in Norfolk and Lincolnshire." 2

Early History of the Chell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chell research. Another 185 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1524, 1532, 1535, 1545, 1550, 1554, 1711 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Chell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chell Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Chell family name include Chell, Chel, Chelle, Chele, Chelley, Chellie and others.

Early Notables of the Chell family

William Chell or Chelle (fl. 1550), Precentor of Hereford who took the degree of Mus...

Chell migration to Australia +

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

First Fleet

Mr. Richard Chell, (1767 - 1790), aged 55, British settler convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 3

Following the First Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Chell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Edward Chell, a shoemaker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832

Contemporary Notables of the name Chell (post 1700) +

Joseph Arthur Chell (1911-1992), English footballer who played from 1930 to 1933
Walter Chell, Canadian cocktail inventor of the Caesar cocktail
Carol Chell, British BBC children's television presenter

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships