The vast movement of people that followed the
Norman Conquest of
England of 1066 brought the Guildersal family name to the British Isles. They 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. 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 Guildersal family
The surname Guildersal was first found in
Yorkshire in the West Riding where they held a
family seat at Gomershale,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) 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 Guildersal family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guildersal research.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guildersal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Guildersal Spelling Variations
A multitude of
spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to
England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Gomersal, Gomersall, Gommersal, Gommersall, Gomershall and many more.
Early Notables of the Guildersal family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Guildersal Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Guildersal family to the New World and Oceana
Many English families left
England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Guildersal or a variant listed above: William Gomersall arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856.