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![Show Contents]() Gomersal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Gomersal reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Gomersal family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Gomersal family lived in the place called Gomersal in Western Yorkshire, which derived its name from the Old English personal name Gudmoer and the Old English word halh. The name Gudmoer was composed of the elements gud, which means battle, and moer, which means fame. The word halh means nook or recess. 1 This name was therefore formed under the Old English naming system, which gradually dissolved after the Norman Conquest. At this time, Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The surnames in England that were found shortly after the Norman Conquest were usually of Norman French rather than native English origins. Early Origins of the Gomersal familyThe surname Gomersal was first found in Yorkshire in the West Riding where they held a family seat at Gomershale, 2 later to become known as Gomersal. A knight's fee granted by William the Conqueror to Gilbert de Lacy was the first record of the place name from whom conjecturally the Gomersalls were descended. The grant of lands also included a mill and a manor at that time. Today Gomersal is a village in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire and not that long ago was originally known as Great Gomersal and Little Gomersal. Early History of the Gomersal familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gomersal research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1616, 1628 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Gomersal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gomersal Spelling VariationsBefore 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 Gomersal include Gomersal, Gomersall, Gommersal, Gommersall, Gomershall and many more. Early Notables of the Gomersal familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was - Roberts Gomersall (1602-1646?), English dramatist and divine, born in London in 1602...
Migration of the Gomersal familyIn 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 Gomersals to arrive on North American shores: William Gomersall arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Gomersal (post 1700) | + |
- Alfred Gomersal Vickers (1810-1837), English marine-painter, born at Lambeth, son of Alfred Vickers (1786–1868), a landscape-painter, born at St. Mary, Newington
- 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)
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