Vennell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Vennell come from when the family resided near a place where vennel grew. Vennel was an herb used for cooking. Other sources list the name as a local name derived from the term at the vennel. 1

Early Origins of the Vennell family

The surname Vennell was first found in Sussex, where William Fenigle was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. A few years later, Henry atte Fenegle was found in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332, again in Sussex. William and Christina Fenel were recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1327 and the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset, respectively. 1

"An Alan de Wanile, of Huntingdonshire, and Gilbert de la Venele, of Oxfordshire, are found in the Hundredorum Rolls in the reign of Edward I. If, as I imagine, the name is identical with Venell, Venella, and Venello, it is very numerously represented in the former county, where we find Hugh en la Venele, Ralph en le Venele, Walter ad Venell', Alexander in Venella, Gilbert, Eusebius, Galfrid, and Thomasin entered in the above record; besides John, Peter, and Nicholas de Venele in Kent." 2

Early History of the Vennell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vennell research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1172, 1292, 1296 and 1661 are included under the topic Early Vennell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vennell Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Vennell has been recorded under many different variations, including Fennell, Vennell, Venall, Fenel and others.

Early Notables of the Vennell family

Notables of the family at this time include

Geoffrey Vennell of Aberdeen

Migration of the Vennell family to Ireland

Some of the Vennell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vennell migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Vennell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

E M Vennell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
George Henry Vennell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
Samuel Vennell, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship "Olympus"
Samuel Vennell, aged 27, a painter, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1841
Pamela Vennell, aged 28, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1841
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Vennell family +

HMS Royal Oak

George F. Vennell, British Chief Petty Officer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 3

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html