Keewale Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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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.

Keewale Early Origins

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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, 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.

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.

Keewale Early History

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 Early Notables (pre 1700)

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

Keewale In 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.

The Great Migration

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.

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Citations

^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)

Other References

Shirley, Evelyn Philip. Noble and Gentle Men of England Or Notes Touching The Arms and Descendants of the Ancient Knightley and Gentle Houses of England Arranged in their Respective Counties 3rd Edition. Westminster: John Bowyer Nichols and Sons, 1866. Print.
Zieber, Eugene. Heraldry in America. Philadelphia: Genealogical Publishing Co. Print.
Burke, Sir Bernard. Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry: Including American Families with British Ancestry. (2 Volumes). London: Burke Publishing, 1939. Print.
Dunkling, Leslie. Dictionary of Surnames. Toronto: Collins, 1998. Print. (ISBN 0004720598).
MacAulay, Thomas Babington. History of England from the Accession of James the Second 4 volumes. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1879. Print.
Bardsley, C.W. A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6).
Holt, J.C. Ed. Domesday Studies. Woodbridge: Boydell, 1987. Print. (ISBN 0-85115-477-8).
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
Burke, Sir Bernard. General Armory Of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Ramsbury: Heraldry Today. Print.
Mills, A.D. Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4).
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The Keewale Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Keewale Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 9 October 2013 at 08:56.