Focksell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Focksell is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having 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 Focksell family

The surname Focksell 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 Focksell family

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

Focksell 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 Focksell family name include Foxall, Foxhall, Foxall, Faxhall, Foxell and others.

Early Notables of the Focksell family

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

Migration of the Focksell family to Ireland

Some of the Focksell 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 Focksell family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Focksell surname or a spelling variation of the name include: 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)