| ![Show Contents]() Ragsdell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The surname Ragsdell comes from the place name Ragdale, in Leicestershire. 1 The place dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Ragendele, located in Goscote Wapentake and held by Robert de Bucy. It consisted of 30 acres of meadows and held enough property for 6 ploughs. 2 The name was derived from the Old English hraca + dael, which probably meant "valley of the gully or narrow pass." 3 Early Origins of the Ragsdell familyThe surname Ragsdell was first found in 1202, when one Stephen de Raggedal made a plea before the King or his justice. Early History of the Ragsdell familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ragsdell research. The years 1530 and 1591 are included under the topic Early Ragsdell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Ragsdell Spelling VariationsSound 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 Ragsdell family name include Ragdale, Ragsdale and others. Early Notables of the Ragsdell familyMore information is included under the topic Early Ragsdell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Ragsdell familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, 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. Early immigrants bearing the Ragsdell surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Godfrey and Anthony Ragsdale, who settled in Virginia in 1673 and 1690; William Ragdale, who settled in Virginia in 1714; Peter Ragsdale, who immigrated to Texas in 1830.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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