Helsel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Helsel arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Helsel family lived in Lancashire, as Lords of the Manor of Halsall.

Early Origins of the Helsel family

The surname Helsel 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 Helsel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Helsel research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1548 and 1599 are included under the topic Early Helsel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Helsel 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 Hallsall, Halsall, Halshall, Hawshall, Halsell, Hallsell and many more.

Early Notables of the Helsel family

More information is included under the topic Early Helsel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Helsel Ranking

In the United States, the name Helsel is the 11,856^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Helsel family to Ireland

Some of the Helsel 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.

Helsel migration to the United States +

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 Helsel or a variant listed above:

Helsel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Tobias Helsel, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1761 4

Helsel Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Olaf Helsel, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1917
Oscar Helsel, aged 36, who arrived at Vincennes, Indiana, in 1922

Contemporary Notables of the name Helsel (post 1700) +

Gordon C. Helsel Jr., American Republican politician, Elected Virginia State House of Delegates 91st District 2011
Gordon C. Helsel Jr. (b. 1947), American politician, member of the Virginia House of Delegates, former mayor of Poquoson, Virginia

Citations +

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].
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)