Show ContentsLandels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Landels family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived near a forest which is derived from the Old French word launde, which means forest glade. The English Landels family was originally of Landells of Bire in Normandy. The family name Landels was brought to England after the Norman Conquest, when William the Conqueror gave his friends and relatives most of the land formerly owned by Anglo-Saxon aristocrats. The surname Landels was established by Norman landholders in the county of Roxburghshire.

Early Origins of the Landels family

The surname Landels was first found in Roxburghshire where they granted lands by King David of Scotland about 1150. They were originally of Landells in Bire in Normandy.

Early History of the Landels family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Landels research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1296 and 1341 are included under the topic Early Landels History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Landels Spelling Variations

Anglo-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 Landale, Lansdale, Landall, Landell, Landells and many more.

Early Notables of the Landels family

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


New Zealand Landels migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Landels Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Adam Landels, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1859 1


  1. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook