Fennely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Fennely first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived near a place where vennel grew. Vennel was an herb used for cooking. Other sources list the name as a local name derived from the term at the vennel. 1

Early Origins of the Fennely family

The surname Fennely was first found in Sussex, where William Fenigle was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. A few years later, Henry atte Fenegle was found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332, again in Sussex. William and Christina Fenel were recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1327 and the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset, respectively. 1

"An Alan de Wanile, of Huntingdonshire, and Gilbert de la Venele, of Oxfordshire, are found in the Hundredorum Rolls in the reign of Edward I. If, as I imagine, the name is identical with Venell, Venella, and Venello, it is very numerously represented in the former county, where we find Hugh en la Venele, Ralph en le Venele, Walter ad Venell', Alexander in Venella, Gilbert, Eusebius, Galfrid, and Thomasin entered in the above record; besides John, Peter, and Nicholas de Venele in Kent." 2

Early History of the Fennely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fennely research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1172, 1292, 1296 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Fennely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fennely Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Fennely has appeared include Fennell, Vennell, Venall, Fenel and others.

Early Notables of the Fennely family

More information is included under the topic Early Fennely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fennely family to Ireland

Some of the Fennely family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fennely migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Fennely arrived in North America very early:

Fennely Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Fennely, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 3

Fennely migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fennely Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Fennely, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Admiral" departing 1st June 1847 from Waterford, Ireland; the ship arrived on 7th July 1847 but he died on board 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 75)