Focksile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The lineage of the name Focksile begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they 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 Focksile family

The surname Focksile 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 Focksile family

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

Focksile Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Focksile has undergone many spelling variations, including Foxall, Foxhall, Foxall, Faxhall, Foxell and others.

Early Notables of the Focksile family

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

Migration of the Focksile family to Ireland

Some of the Focksile 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 Focksile family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. 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 Focksile were among those contributors: 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)