The name Keewale was brought to
England by the
Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Keewale family lived in the place named Keevil in the county of
Wiltshire. The name was originally spelled Chivele in the
Domesday Book. The territory of Chivele, including two mills, was granted to Anulf de Hesdine, who was a Norman
Baron originally from Pas de Calais, in the canton of Hesdin. Hesdine was a tenant-in- chief in Keevil.
Early Origins of the Keewale family
The surname Keewale was first found in
Wiltshire where they held a
family seat from very ancient times, and were granted lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The name was originally spelt Chivele in the
Domesday Book,
[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) and the lands, including two mills, were granted to Anulf de Hesdine, a Norman
Baron, originally from Pas de Calais, in the canton of Hesdin who was a
tenant in chief holding Keevil in Wiltshire.
Early History of the Keewale family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keewale research.
Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1580 and 1969 are included under the topic Early Keewale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Keewale Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few
hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Keewale are characterized by many
spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Keewale include Keevill, Keville, Kevell and others.
Early Notables of the Keewale family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Keewale Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Keewale family to Ireland
Some of the Keewale family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 53 words (4 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 Keewale family to the New World and Oceana
Faced with the chaos present in
England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as
Australia and
Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Keewale, or a variant listed above: Catherine Kevell, who came to Virginia in 1702; Philip Kevell, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738; Alexander Keville, who came to Halifax, N.S. in 1834.