Houles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Houles family

The surname Houles was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. Conjecturally, this Norman family were granted lands in this county, and soon after branched in Cheshire. The name was from the Norman personal name Hulot. The most notable of the name at this time was Sir Richard Hulleys or Hullers who apparently accompanied King Edward 1st north in his conquest in his conquest of Scotland in 1291 and 1296.

Early History of the Houles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Houles research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1296 is included under the topic Early Houles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Houles Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Hullies, Houlis, Houles, Hulsey, Huls, Hullers, Hulleys, Hullis, Hullys, Hulson, Houlson and many more.

Early Notables of the Houles family

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

Migration of the Houles family to Ireland

Some of the Houles family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Houles family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Houles or a variant listed above: William Hulleys settled in New York in 1812.