Gotsell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture once found in Britain is the soil from which the many generations of the Gotsell family have grown. The name Gotsell was given to a member of the family who was a person who was "gode," meaning "good," along with "saule, or soule," meaning "soul." Thus it is thought to have originally been a nickname for a good soul, or honest person, which then went on to become a hereditary surname.

Early Origins of the Gotsell family

The surname Gotsell was first found in Essex where they held a family seat from very early times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. We cannot support Lower, Bardsley, and Harrison who claim that the name was from Gods-Hill in the Isle of Wight.

Early History of the Gotsell family

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

Gotsell Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Gotsell family name include Godsell, Godsall, Goldsalde, Godseel, Godsel, Godsalve and many more.

Early Notables of the Gotsell family (pre 1700)

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 Gotsell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gotsell family to Ireland

Some of the Gotsell 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 Gotsell family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Gotsell surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Michael Godsil settled in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in 1816; William Godsell settled in Tilting in 1818; Thomas Godsell settled in Harbour Grace from County Cork in 1831.