Show ContentsTurrel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Turrel family

The surname Turrel was first found in Lincolnshire, where they claim descent from Theroldus de Buckenhuld, Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1052 whose descendant Sir Richards Thorold of Selby was living during the reign of Edward III. He married Joan, daughter and heiress of Robert de Haugh, of Marston. And it is from this marriage a son was born, William Thorold, Lord of Marston. [1]

Looking back further in Normandy, the family is a branch of the DeVers, from Ver near Bayeux where Alberic de Ver witnessed a Breton charter in 1058. [2] "It comes to us from Normandy, where Turold was one of the preceptors of William the Conqueror, and his Grand-Constable at the time on the Conquest. The name TUROLD occurs upon the Bayeux Tapestry, designating one of the ambassadors dispatched by the Norman Duke to Guy, Earl of Ponthieu. " [3]

Turold (fl. 1075-1100), was an English romance-writer and has been considered by some as the author of the 'Chanson de Roland.' "Its attribution to a person of that name, a common enough one in the eleventh century, rests on the last line of the poem in the oldest known manuscript of it in the Bodleian library at Oxford. " [4]

Later listings of the name include: Toroudus, Toroldus presbiter 1143-1147 in Lincolnshire; Robertus filius Thoradi, a Templar in Yorkshire in 1185; and William Turolde listed in the Pipe Rolls for Gloucestershire in 1190. [5]

Early History of the Turrel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turrel research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1591, 1632, 1633, 1642, 1644, 1661, 1664, 1666, 1677, 1706, 1709, 1717, 1722, 1738 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Turrel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turrel Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Turrel are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Turrel include Thorold, Thorald, Thorrold, Thorrald, Therould and others.

Early Notables of the Turrel family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Samuel Thorold of Harmeston; Sir William Thorold, 1st Baronet (1591-1677), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1677, and Sheriff of Lincolnshire from 1632 to 1633; Sir John Thorold, 4th Baronet (1664-1717), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Grantham and Lincolnshire; and Sir George Thorold, 1st Baronet (c. 1666-1722) of Harmston, Lincolnshire, a leading London merchant.There have been four baronetcies created for members of the Thorold family of Lincolnshire. The Thorold Baronetcy, of Marston in the County of Lincoln, was created in the...
Another 142 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Turrel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Turrel family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Turrel, or a variant listed above: Jacob and Sarah Therould settled in New York in 1686 with two children.


Contemporary Notables of the name Turrel (post 1700) +

  • Robert A. Turrel, American politician, Delegate to Michigan convention to ratify 21st amendment from Sanilac County, 1933 [6]


The Turrel 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: Cervus non servus
Motto Translation: A stag not enslaved.


  1. Burke, Sir Bernard, C.B. LL.D The General Armory of England Scotland, Ireland and Wales. London: Harrison, 59, Pall Mall, 1884, Print.
  2. 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)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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