Show ContentsSummerhill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Summerhill family

The surname Summerhill was first found in Derbyshire at Somersall, a parish four miles from Uttoxeter. Now known as Somersall-Herbert, the parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was recorded as Summersale. [1]

This place name literally means "nook of land of a man called Summor," from this Old English personal name + "halh." The manorial affix from the Fitzherbert family was made in the 13th century. [2]

One of the first records of the family was Jacobus de Sumereshal who was listed in 1200 in the Curia Regis Rolls for Herefordshire. Over one hundred years later, according to the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire, William de Somersale held lands there at that time. [3]

Later in Yorkshire, Somerscales was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, as was his son, John Somerscales, Jr. [4]

Somersall Hall is a small country house near Brampton, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Somersal Herbert Hall is a privately owned timber-framed 16th-century country house at Somersal-Herbert, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire, in England. This house was originally built by Thomas Fitzherbert, second son of Sir William Fitzherbert of Norbury c. 13th century. The present house was rebuilt by John Fitzherbert on the site of an earlier manor house in 1564.

Early History of the Summerhill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Summerhill research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1730 and 1737 are included under the topic Early Summerhill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Summerhill Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Summerscales, Somerscales, Sumerscales, Sommerscales, Summersgill, Sommersgill, Sumerskill, Somerskill, Summerskill, Sommerskill, Sommerscales, Somersall, Somershall, Summersall and many more.

Early Notables of the Summerhill family

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


United States Summerhill migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Summerhill Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Summerhill, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1888 [5]
Summerhill Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Thomas Summerhill, aged 34, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "New York City" from Bristol, England [6]
  • Thomas Summerhill, aged 34, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "New York" from Bristol, England [6]

Ibrox disaster
  • William Thomas Summerhill (1954-1971), Scottish football supporter, from Glasgow who was at the Ibrox disaster on 2nd January 1971 when a human crush among the crowd killed 66 and injured 200 people he died of his injuries [7]


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  7. Bradford City Football Club In memory (retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/club/in-memoriam/


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