Early Origins of the Dovell family
The surname Dovell was first found in
Yorkshire where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of
Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a
Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all
England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the
Domesday Book,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the lands of Daville, by Robert de Aivilla, of Daville who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086.
Early History of the Dovell family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dovell research.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1184, 1200, 1260 and 1553 are included under the topic Early Dovell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Dovell Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Davall, Davolls, Deavall, Deaville, Devall, De Vile, De Ville, Devill, Deville, Divall, Devell and many more.
Early Notables of the Dovell family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Dovell Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Dovell family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Dovell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Peter Dovell, who arrived in Galveston, TX in 1839
Dovell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Charles Dovell, who arrived in Ontario in 1871
Contemporary Notables of the name Dovell (post 1700)
- W. T. Dovell, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Washington, 1912
- Ashton Dovell, American Democrat politician, Presidential Elector for Virginia, 1932; Defeated, 1928; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1940
- Andrew J. Dovell, American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Manistee District, 1874
- Archie Dovell Sanders (1857-1941), American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Genesee County, 1896-97; Member of New York State Senate 44th District, 1915-16 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Dovell Family Crest Products
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Citations
- ^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- ^ The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html