Glenvile History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Glenvile is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Glenvile family lived in Suffolk. The name however, is not a reference to this place, but to the family's place of residence sometime prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Glanville, near Calvados, Normandy. 1

The Glanville variant dates back to Ranulf de Glanville (d. 1190), Chief Justiciar of England. "His family, which probably derived its name from Glanville, near Lisieux, seems to have settled in Suffolk at or soon after the Norman Conquest, and to have become moderately wealthy. Ranulf, it is said, was born at Stratford, that is at Stratford St. Andrew, near Saxmundham. " 2

Bartholomew de Glanville (fl. 1230-1250), was "the name erroneously given to Bartholomew Anglicus or the Englishman." 2

Gilbert de Glanville (d. 1214), was Bishop of Rochester, and a kinsman of Ranulf de Glanville [q. v.], and a native of Northumberland. 2

Early Origins of the Glenvile family

The surname Glenvile was first found in Suffolk an Norfolk. Bromeholme in the parish of Bacton in Norfolk was an ancient family seat established shortly after the Norman Conquest. "A priory for Cluniac monks, dedicated to St. Andrew, was founded in 1113, by William de Glanvill, and for some time subsisted as a cell to the monastery at Castle Acre." 3 Again in Suffolk, but this time in Leiston, Ranulph de Glanville endowed the monastery there in honour of the Virgin Mary in 1182.

Devon was an ancient homestead to the family as "Harwell was a seat of the Glanvilles for some three centuries before they removed to Kilworthy." 4

Early History of the Glenvile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Glenvile research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1542, 1586, 1600, 1636, 1640, 1645, 1652, 1661, 1664, 1680 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Glenvile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Glenvile Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Glenvile include Glanfield, Glanville, Glenville and others.

Early Notables of the Glenvile family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Glanvill (1664?-1735), English poet and translator, born at Broad Hinton, Wiltshire, about 1664, the son of Julius Glanvil of Lincoln's Inn. 2 Joseph Glanvill (1636-1680), was an English divine, third son of Nicholas Glanvill of Halwell, Whitchurch, Devonshire, was born at Plymouth in 1636, and entered...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Glenvile Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Glenvile family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Glenviles to arrive on North American shores: John Glamfield who settled in Virginia in 1654; who later correctly spelled his name Glanfield.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital