Linnell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The distinguished surname Linnell is a proud example of one of the more noteworthy Scottish surnames. In Scotland, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Linnell family originally lived in the Norman settlement of Lyons-la-Foret, before migrating to England and Scotland. 1

Early Origins of the Linnell family

The surname Linnell was first found in Perthshire where Sir Roger de Lyon settled in Scotland in 1098 and called the lands there Glen Lyon. "According to the family tradition the Lyons came to Scotland from France, by way of England, in the course of the twelfth century." 2

However, it appears the family was indeed in England before the 1100s. "Ingelram de Lions came to England 1066, and held Corsham and Culington from the King. He had Ranulph, whose brother William de Lions had a grant in Norfolk from Earl Walter Giffard, and left descendants there." 1

Moving north into Scotland, "John de Lyon obtained from David II a grant of the baronies of Forteviot and Fergundeny in Perthshire and Drumgawan in Aberdeenshire; his son, Sir John Lyon, was Secretary to Robert II, whose youngest daughter, Lady Jane Stewart, he married, and was created Lord Glamis, made Great Chamberlain, and Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and received grants of the Thanedom of Glamis in Forfarshire, and of the Barony of Kinghorn in Fifeshire. " 3

Another source claims that the family arrived via England later. "The name was not uncommon in England in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and landowners of the name were in occupation in several of the English shires in the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. The first of the name recorded in Scotland, probably an English soldier, was Thomas Lyon, crossbowman, who formed one of the garrison of Linlithgow peel in the pay of Edward II. " 2

Mention should now be made of the numerous listings of the family in England at about the same time. Here it is generally thought that the first record of the name was Roger de Leonibus filius Jeffrey de Lions who was listed in the Feet of Fines of Norfolk during the reign of Henry III of England (reign 1216-1272.) The same source lists John de Leonibus in Southamptonshire and Peter de Leonibus in Northamptonshire. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Judaeus Leo and Jacob filius Leonis in Lincolnshire; John Leon in Oxfordshire; and Roger de Lyons, Wiltshire. 4

Early History of the Linnell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Linnell research. Another 351 words (25 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1105, 1203, 1275, 1310, 1332, 1334, 1342, 1371, 1381, 1393, 1411, 1425, 1445, 1499, 1509, 1525, 1550, 1643, 1663, 1695, 1696, 1702, 1707, 1712, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Linnell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Linnell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lyon, Lions, Lyons and others.

Early Notables of the Linnell family

Notable among the family at this time was John Lyon, 2nd Earl of Kinghorne; and his son, Patrick Lyon, 3rd Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1643-1695), a Scottish peer; John Lyon, 4th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1663-1712), a Scottish peer; John Lyon, 5th...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Linnell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Linnell family to Ireland

Some of the Linnell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Linnell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Linnell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jesse Wright Linnell, aged 52, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1845 5
Johan Linnell, aged 34, who landed in New York in 1846 5
Olof Linnell, aged 12, who landed in America in 1852 5
Joseph Linnell, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 5

Linnell 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:

Linnell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Timothy Linnell, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Mary Linnell, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Mr. Ebenezer H Linnell, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Flying Mist" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 25th August 1862, the boat sank whilst waiting in port. 6
Robert Linnell, aged 24, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
Elizabeth Linnell, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Steinwarder" in 1864
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Linnell (post 1700) +

James Linnell, American writer, teacher, and director
John Sidney Linnell (b. 1959), American musician
William Shepherd Linnell (1885-1968), American Republican politician, Member of Maine Governor's Council, 1925-28; Member of Maine Republican State Committee, 1928 Republican National Convention from Maine, 1936; Member of Republican National Committee from Maine, 1937-40 7
Robert S. Linnell, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Nevada, 1969; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, 1977 7
Irving Nelson Linnell (1881-1954), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Vancouver, 1916-17; U.S. Consul in Plymouth, 1920; London, 1922; U.S. Consul General in Ottawa, 1927-31; Cape Town, 1932; Canton, 1938 7
Frank S. Linnell, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Canterbury, 1904 7
Bob Linnell, American politician, Mayor of Bountiful, Utah; Elected 1989 7
Air Marshal Sir Francis John Linnell KBE CB (1892-1944), British military officer, Controller of Research and Development of the Ministry of Aircraft Production, posthumous recipient of the Legion of Merit by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
John Linnell (b. 1729), 18th-century English cabinet-maker and designer
Stuart Linnell MBE, English broadcaster for the BBC
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Linnell Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Pro rege et patria
Motto Translation: For King and country.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. 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)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html