Wishlist
Menu
Cart
HouseofNames
Wishlist
Cart

Show ContentsGoodsel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Product

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

4.9 Average Rating

The name Goodsel comes from a name for a person who was "gode," meaning "good," along with "saule, or soule," meaning "soul" in other words "an honest fellow." 1

Alternatively, the name could have been a local name from "Gadshill (Kent), Godshill (Isle of Wight), Godshill (Hants) or Godsell Fm (Wiltshire), all originally Godeshyll ‘god’s hill’" 1

Another source postulates the name is "perhaps from Godshill, in the Isle of Wight or the same as Godesilus, the name of an early Burgundian King." 2 Pursuing the Godesilus connection, one source notes that "Godescalus, [was] a mesne lord in Wiltshire in 1086." This latter source is obviously eluding to an entry appearing in the Domesday Book. 3 4

Early Origins of the Goodsel family

The surname Goodsel was first found in Norfolk where William God saule was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1197. Ralph Godsouls was found in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219 and later, Hugh de Godeshill was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1225. The Pipe Rolls for Hampshire list Hugh de Godeshull in 1230 and later again, we found Thomas de Godeshell in Devon in 1309. The Subsidy Rolls for Sussex list Richard Godeshull in 1327. 1 Ralph Godsale, taillour was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 point to the widespread use of the name with a variety of spellings: Amice and Cecilla Godsol in Cambridgeshire; Augustin Godsouele in Huntingdonshire; and Radulphus Godsale in Norfolk. 5

"Godsell, a name now rare in the county, but represented by the Godsalls and Godsells of the neighbourhood of the city of Hereford, was an established name in Kingswood (co. Gloucester) during the 17th and 18th centuries, where a family of clothiers thus called resided." 6

Early History of the Goodsel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goodsel research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1505, 1542, 1546, 1556 and 1568 are included under the topic Early Goodsel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goodsel Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Goodsel include Godsell, Godsall, Goldsalde, Godseel, Godsel, Godsalve and many more.

Early Notables of the Goodsel family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Godsalve (b. circa 1505- d. 1556), Clerk of the Signet, and Comptroller of the Mint, was the son and heir of Thomas Godsalve (d. 1542), registrar of the consistory court at Norwich and an owner of landed property in Norfolk.Edward...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Goodsel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Goodsel family to Ireland

Some of the Goodsel 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.

New Zealand Goodsel migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Goodsel Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henry Goodsel, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Will O the Wisp" arriving in New Zealand in 1852 7
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. 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)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Houseofnames.com on Facebook