Show ContentsMaghall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Maghall family

The surname Maghall was first found in Lancashire where the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Maghull, held by Roger de Poitou, a Norman Baron who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. "The family of Maghull, which derived its name from this place, were for many ages connected with it." 1 Today Maghull is a town and civil parish in Sefton, Merseyside.

One of the first records of the family was found in the parish of Aintree. "William of Aintree, in the reign of Henry III., left a daughter and heiress, Alice, who married into the Maghull family; and an heiress of the latter, Joanna, married into the family of Molyneux, who thus became proprietors of this place." 1

Early History of the Maghall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maghall research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1280, 1340 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Maghall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maghall 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 Magull, Maghull, Maggull, Maghul, Maghall, Maghill, Maggle and many more.

Early Notables of the Maghall family

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

Migration of the Maghall family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Maghall name or one of its variants: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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