Show ContentsFreshfill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Freshfill family

The surname Freshfill was first found in Staffordshire where Alexander Baron de Frevile, the lineal descendant of the Norman, married Joane, granddaughter and coheir of Sir Philip Marmion, and was great-grandfather of Sir Baldwin de Freville, who, in the 1st Richard II., claimed, as feudal Lord of Tamworth Castle, to be the King's champion on the day of his coronation; but the same was determined against him, in favour of Sir John Dymoke, in right of the tenure of Scrivelsby. The last direct male heir, Baldwin de Freville, died, in minority 6th Henry V., when his great possessions were partitioned among the husbands of his sisters; thus Sir Thomas Ferrers had Tamworth Castle, Sir Richard Bingham, Middleton in Warwickshire, and Roger Aston, Newdigate, in Surrey." 1

The Freville Baronetcy was originally from Fresville, in the arrondisement of Valognes, Montebourg. 2

Early History of the Freshfill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Freshfill research. Another 171 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1178, 1510, 1552, 1570, 1579, 1600, 1603, 1607, 1628, 1630, 1642, 1665 and 1682 are included under the topic Early Freshfill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Freshfill Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Freville, Fresville, Freevill, Freeville, Frevile, Frevill, Freefill, Frefill, Frevil, Freewill, Frewill, Freshville, Freschville, Freshfill and many more.

Early Notables of the Freshfill family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Frescheville, 1st Baron Frescheville (1607-1682), an English soldier, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1628 and 1665, Deputy Lieutenant of Derbyshire (1630-1642.) George Freville (d. 1579), was an English...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Freshfill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Freshfill family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Freshfill or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  2. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.


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