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![Show Contents]() Halsil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Halsil reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Halsil family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Halsil family lived in Lancashire, as Lords of the Manor of Halsall. Early Origins of the Halsil familyThe surname Halsil was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Halsall. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 the village of Halsall was held by Count Roger de Poitou, a Norman noble who was Earl of Lancaster, and conjecturally the Halsalls are descended from this line. "The manor [of Birkdale, Lancashire], in the reign of Henry IV., was held by the Halsalls." 1 Unfortunately, by the 17th century the manor was passed on to other families. Perhaps this entry will shed some light into the lost manor. "By this time there had probably been an infeudation in favour of the Halsall family. In 1346, the fourth part of a knight's fee in Argar Meols was held by Otes de Halsall; he rendered 10s [(shillings)], but it was stated that the place 'had been annihilated by the sea and there was no habitation there.' From an inquisition taken in 1404, it appears that the manors of Argar Meols and Birkdale had been held by Otes' father, Gilbert, so that the transfer from the old lords to the new must have taken place about 1320. " 2 Early History of the Halsil familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Halsil research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1548 and 1599 are included under the topic Early Halsil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Halsil Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Hallsall, Halsall, Halshall, Hawshall, Halsell, Hallsell and many more. Early Notables of the Halsil familyMore information is included under the topic Early Halsil Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Halsil family to Ireland
Some of the Halsil 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 Halsil familyBecause of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Halsil name or one of its variants: James Halsall landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1844.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- 'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
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England
Ireland
