Pottingil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Pottingil is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was given to a person who was a maker and seller of soup which is derived from the Old French word potagier, which meant "maker and seller of pottage." Pottage is a thick soup or broth. The original bearer of this surname may very well have been an itinerant peddler traveling with a fair. It was common to have food sellers traveling with medieval fairs; pottage was a popular food stuff to be found at these events. A good literary example of this type of trade appears in the beginning of Thomas Hardy's book The Mayor of Casterbridge, where the "furmity woman" precipitates the events of the novel by selling soup laced with alcohol to Henchard, who in later years becomes the Mayor of the title of the book. The word pottinger is Scottish for an apothecary. In the Household Book of James V. of Scotland, one of the king's horses, set apart for carrying the drugs of the royal household, is jocosely known by this name: - 'uno equo pharmacopile, vulgo de Pottinger.' " 1

Early Origins of the Pottingil family

The surname Pottingil was first found in various shires throughout ancient England. The Writs of Parliament may have the first entry for the name as it lists Walter le Potager, 1303. Kirby's Quest lists John le Potager, Somerset, 1 Edward III 2 and the Freemen of York listed Simon de Wederhale, potager, 2 Edward III. 3

For these last two entries, the reader needs to understand that many early rolls merely had entries for each year of the king's reign as it took years to complete a given rolls. By example, "1 Edward III" meant "during the first year of King Edward III's reign."

Walter le Potagier was listed in 1300 and Walter le Potager was listed in Oxfordshire in 1321. 4

Quite unexpectedly, Scottish entries for the name were later. "The surname appears in Scotland to have been confined mainly to Orkney and Shetland. Alexander Potyngeir and Thome Potyngeir were jurors on an inquest held at Sabay, Orkney, 1522. Alexander Potinger was one of the witnesses to a deed of sale in Orkney, 1552." 5

Early History of the Pottingil family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pottingil research. Another 224 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1321, 1373, 1500, 1556, 1575, 1640, 1642, 1647, 1652, 1658, 1659, 1664, 1691, 1733, 1762, 1776, 1789, 1805 and 1856 are included under the topic Early Pottingil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pottingil Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Pottingil family name include Pottinger, Potinger, Pottingal, Pottingale and others.

Early Notables of the Pottingil family

Distinguished members of the family include Agnes Potten (died 1556), one of two English women of Ipswich who were imprisoned and burned at the stake in Ipswich during the Marian persecutions, both are commemorated among the Ipswich Martyrs.John Potenger or Pottinger (1647-1733), was a master in chancery and author, the son of John Potenger, D.D...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pottingil Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pottingil family to Ireland

Some of the Pottingil family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pottingil family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Pottingil or a variant listed above: John Pottinger, who arrived in Maryland in 1684; Jane Pottinger and her husband, who settled in Virginia in 1729; and Jane Pottinger, who came to Philadelphia in 1774..

The Pottingil 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: Virtus in ardua
Motto Translation: Courage against difficulties.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-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)