Merpple Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The ancestors of the Merpple family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They 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."

Merpple Early Origins

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The surname Merpple 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.

Merpple Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Merpple were recorded, including Marple, Marples, Marble, Marbles, Merple, Merpel, Merpels, Merples, Merbles, Merble and many more.

Merpple Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merpple research. Another 166 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 192 and 1921 are included under the topic Early Merpple History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Merpple Early Notables (pre 1700)

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

Merpple In Ireland

Some of the Merpple family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 75 words (5 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

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Merpple arrived in North America very early: 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.

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Citations

^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)

Other References

Bolton, Charles Knowles. Bolton's American Armory. Baltimore: Heraldic Book Company, 1964. Print.
Cook, Chris. English Historical Facts 1603-1688. London: MacMillan, 1980. Print.
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).
Best, Hugh. Debrett's Texas Peerage. New York: Coward-McCann, 1983. Print. (ISBN 069811244X).
Weis, Frederick Lewis, Walter Lee Sheppard and David Faris. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650 7th Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0806313676).
Holt, J.C. Ed. Domesday Studies. Woodbridge: Boydell, 1987. Print. (ISBN 0-85115-477-8).
Leeson, Francis L. Dictionary of British Peerages. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1986. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-1121-5).
Marcharn, Frederick George. A Constitutional History of Modern England 1485 to the Present. London: Harper and Brothers, 1960. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds. Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8).
Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
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The Merpple Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Merpple 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 10 October 2016 at 10:42.