The name De vale belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons
. It is a product of their having lived near a stone-built wall. De vale is a local
surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames
. Other types of local surnames include topographic
surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation
names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. The surname De vale referred to a person who lived beside a large stone wall, which was used either for the purpose of fortification, or to keep back the encroachment of the sea. Members of the De vale family were established in Gloucestershire
prior to the Norman Conquest
, in 1066. By the time of the Conquest, they were major landholders in that county.
Early Origins of the De vale family
The surname De vale was first found in Gloucestershire
where they held a family seat
from very ancient times and appeared as holders of lands in the Domesday Book
compiled in 1086 by King William of England
. The name was from the Anglo Saxon Wal, meaning a stranger. Wales
is a parish, in the union of Worksop, S. division of the wapentake
of Strafforth and Tickhill in the West Riding of Yorkshire
. "This parish, in the Domesday Survey
called Walise, belonged to Morcar, Earl of Northumberland
, in the reign of Edward the Confessor." CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Early History of the De vale family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De vale research.Another 201 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1210, 1303, 1352, 1620, 1679, 1647, 1728, 1588, 1666, 1760, 1789 and are included under the topic Early De vale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
De vale Spelling Variations
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred
years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations
in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon
and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of De vale include Wall, Walls, Wale, Walles and others.
Early Notables of the De vale family (pre 1700)
Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Wale (1303-1352), an English soldier and co-founder of the Knight of the Garter; William de Wall, the knight who accompanied Strongbow; Saint John Wall, O.F.M., (1620-1679), an English Catholic Franciscan friar, apprehended under suspicion of being a party to the Titus Oates plot... Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early De vale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the De vale family to Ireland
Some of the De vale family moved to Ireland
, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.Another 147 words (10 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 De vale family to the New World and Oceana
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England
at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The De vale were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: John Walls, a servant, who settled in Argentia, Newfoundland in 1773; Phillip Walls was a fisherman of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland in 1745; William Walls settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1758.