| ![Show Contents]() Merples History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Merples is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Merples family lived in Cheshire, at the manor of Marple which dates back to the 13th century when it was then known as Merpille and literally meant "pool or stream at the boundary," having derived from the Old English "maere" + "pyll." 1 Early Origins of the Merples familyThe surname Merples was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Marple, more anciently spelt Merpul. The first record of ownership of the estates was when Randle, Earl of Chester granted the manorial rights to Robert of Stockport. This is most likely the earliest scion of the Marple family name. He sold the estate to Sir George Vernon, known as 'The King of the Peak' Chief of one those rugged east Cheshire families who controlled the forests of Cheshire and Derbyshire. Marple Hall remains, and in the 19th century was the seat of the notable Isherwood family, having previously been the seat of the Bradshaws. Interestingly, one of the theories of the origin of Agatha Christie's fictional character Miss Marple was that it was taken the name from a family named Marple, who lived at Marple Hall near her sister Madge's home at Abney Hall. The first records of the Marble variant were found on the Isle of Man where Robert Marbull and Hugh Marble were listed in 1479 and 1531, respectively. 2 Early History of the Merples familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merples research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1921 is included under the topic Early Merples History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Merples Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Marple, Marples, Marble, Marbles, Merple, Merpel, Merpels, Merples, Merbles, Merble and many more. Early Notables of the Merples familyMore information is included under the topic Early Merples Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Merples familyFor many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Merples or a variant listed above were: William Marble and his wife Elizabeth who settled in New England in 1652; Richard and his wife Elizabeth Marble settled in Pennsylvania in 1773; J.L. Marble settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1852.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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