Dunville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Dunville is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Dunville family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Dunville family lived in Cheshire. The family was originally from Dumville, in the arrondisement of Lisieux in Normandy. "The family, who probably entered England at the Conquest, were resident in co. Chester from the time of Henry III. till the beginning of the XVIII. cent." 1

Early Origins of the Dunville family

The surname Dunville was first found in Cheshire where the family was originally of Donville in the arrondisement of Lisieux in Normandy. The family held estates at Thingwell in Cheshire in early times. One of the first records of the family was Adam de Dunville 1182, who witnessed a charter in Chester. 2

"In the reign of Richard II. this place was held by the Domvilles, from whom it passed, through the Hulses and the Troutbecks, to the ancestors of the Earl of Shrewsbury." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one entry for the family: Hugo de Donvile, or Donvil, Salop (Shropshire.) 4

Early History of the Dunville family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunville research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1565, 1609, 1613, 1624, 1641, 1650, 1678, 1689, 1696, 1721, 1742, 1768, 1813 and 1833 are included under the topic Early Dunville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunville Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Dunville have been found, including Domvile, Domville, Donvill, Donville, Dunville and many more.

Early Notables of the Dunville family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Domville (1565-1624)Silas Domville (1624-1678), was an English antiquary, the son of Silvanus Taylor, a committee-man for Herefordshire and 'a grand Oliverian,' born at Harley, near Much Wenlock, Shropshire, on 16 July 1624. "Although Wood calls him Domville or D'omville, it does not appear that Taylor...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dunville Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dunville family to Ireland

Some of the Dunville family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 134 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dunville family

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Dunville were among those contributors: Edward Dumbrell, who came to Maryland in 1719; Patrick Domvile, who landed in America in 1754; as well as a Major Domville, who came to Halifax, N.S. in 1796..

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunville (post 1700) +

Doug Dunville, Canadian former ice hockey player from Toronto, Ontario, active in the 1960s
John Spencer Dunville VC (1896-1917), British Army officer and an posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross for his actions on 25 June 1917 near Épehy, France
John Dunville, Irish founder of Dunville & Co, a tea and spirits merchant company, based in Belfast, County Antrim, founded in 1837, it is best known for its most popular whisky Dunville's VR

The Dunville 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: Qui stat caveat ne cadat
Motto Translation: Let him who standeth take heed lest he fall.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)