Focksalls History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient roots of the Focksalls family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Focksalls comes from when the family lived in the parish of Foxhale in the county of Suffolk just miles from Ipswich. 1

Vauxhall (now in Greater London) dates back to 1279 when it was known as Faukeshale. This local has the same origin and literally meant "hall of manor of a man called Falkes." 2

Early Origins of the Focksalls family

The surname Focksalls was first found in Suffolk at Foxhall, (Foxhale) which dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Foxehola and was about 15 acres in size located in the Hundred of Carlford. 3 By the late 1800s, the population had increased to about 200 inhabitants and was about 2,000 acres in size. Foxholes, a parish located in the East Riding of Yorkshire was listed as Foxele, Foxhole and Foxohole in the Domesday Book having derived from the Old English term "fox-hol" and literally meant "the fox holes, the fox's earth" 2 This parish is quite a bit bigger at about 4,210 acres in size.

Early English rolls provide us a glimpse of the spelling variations used through Medieval times. Today we typically need to look beyond the spellings of these entries and concentrate on on a phonetic appreciation of the names. William de Foxole was found in the Pipe Rolls for Kent in 1197; John de Foxales in the Hundredorum Rolls for Yorkshire in 1276 and John Foxholes was registered in 1406. 4

Early History of the Focksalls family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Focksalls research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1385 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Focksalls History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Focksalls 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 Focksalls has appeared include Foxall, Foxhall, Foxall, Faxhall, Foxell and others.

Early Notables of the Focksalls family

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

Migration of the Focksalls family to Ireland

Some of the Focksalls family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Focksalls family

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 Focksalls arrived in North America very early: John Faxel settled in Texas in 1846; Ann and William Foxall settled in New York in 1842; Thomas Foxhale settled in Pennsylvania in 1813.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)