An overview of the origins and locations of the Priestnall name

Research has been done over a number of years to narrow down the meaning of the name Priestnall and its derivative names.

A number of arguments have reigned as to the exact spelling of the name, but it is without doubt that the originating family name is Priestnall, with the many variations that have been used over the centuries.

It is debatable as to exactly where the name originally came from with the added difficulty that the normal avenues of reference for surnames are distinctly empty when it comes to studying this name.

There are varying schools of thought that narrow the name down to two possibilities.

1. That the name Priestnall is derived from some long gone hamlet in Cheshire U.K.

2. That the name Priestnall is a derivative of an old occupation.

If we look at the possibility that it is derived from a place name, and start to look at various place names past and present around the U.K., then the main possibilities are Preestall (Lancashire), Prestbury (Cheshire) and Prestbury (Cheltenham, Gloucestershire).

Gloucestershire is totally ruled out, as we can be positive that Priestnall is a northern name, so the most obvious place would be Preestall (Lancashire). No Priestnall's are known to have existed anywhere near this village, in fact very few Priestnall's lived in Lancashire in the early years, therefore this is also ruled out.

One worldwide (genealogical?) organisation (Hall of Names) appears to have already been fooled by this Lancashire village, and insists that Lancashire is where the Priestnall name originates. Do not be mislead by the potted histories from these type of organisations, although they can provide a nice scroll, factual they are not, and the information contained, which is similar whatever your surname, must be taken with a very large pinch of salt. Check out this website for details of this and other genealogical scams.

We are now left with Prestbury (Cheshire). In fact in the dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (George Waring Bardsley - 1901) the author refers to this name as being a local name, probably from some spot in Cheshire. A further clue into the name is from an article in Cheshire Life magazine, dated June 1984, where the author (Colin Rogers) in quite a lengthy piece, notes that the name appears to have evolved around the village of Prestbury. It is hoped to publish this article in full in the future, subject to permission being granted.

I therefore think that from the information available so far, we have to be satisfied that the name originates from some long gone hamlet in the Prestbury area of Cheshire, and that Prestbury is the originating centre of the Priestnall dynasty. The large number of Priestnall families that have ties to the Prestbury area, especially the hamlet of Butley now swamped by Prestbury, seem to confirm this belief.

What does still puzzle me at the moment, is the large number of Priestnall's that appear to have inhabited the County of Leicestershire, especially around the city of Leicester and although until the 19th century were outnumbered by the Cheshire Priestnall's, their numbers have since grown. It is an area of my research still ongoing, and any clues would be gratefully received.

It is quite unlikely that the name has arrived from an old occupation, although this must not be totally dismissed, The closest occupation likely is ' the toller of the bell' (priest knell), although Priest Knoll could refer to the Priest on the Hill.
I think that we have to be open minded on the exact meaning of the name, but accept that we have sufficient information to narrow down the area that the name has evolved from.


KNOWN NAMES AND VARIANTS

Priestnall

Priestnal

Preistnall

Preistnal

Priestner

Priestenall

Priestknowe

Priesener

Prestenal

Restenal

Preestener

Priestknave

Priestnor

Pristnor

Pristnell

Prestnell

Priestnawe

(Presnell / Pressnell) - See text

Presnail


It should be noted that the Northern pronunciation of words ending in 'all' is very easily mis pronounced as 'or','er', 'nowe' etc., and a surname can change quite frequently on varying documents according to the level of literacy by the person providing the information. Certainly spelling mistakes such as Priestnall and Preistnall are quite common. If you were to take William Priestnall of Brinnington, his surname on his will is spelt 'ei', on his parish register burial entry 'ie' and his wife's will (Margaret) 'ie'. There are many more major spelling mistakes on documents, which can give any of the above variations.

Presnail
Another variation on the name is Presnail, or is it a variation of Presnell (see text below). A document has come into my posession detailing the links with the Presnail name, and although not proven factually is worth a look to see a slightly different slant on the origins of the name Presnail. The more information that is gathered will eventually prove or disprove the links between the variations.

Presnell / Pressnell
It is believed by some historians that the surname Presnell / Pressnell is a derivative or originator of the Priestnall name, but this has been noted as totally inconclusive. It is listed for reference in the above table, although there is no proven link with the Priestnall family. The UK Presnell's are few and far between, making the name Priestnall seem as common as Smith, and the few Presnell's that existed in earlier centuries, or even exist now, were primarily located in the south east coast regions of England. This surname seems to be far stronger in other countries, especially the United States, and it may have even originated from our european cousins.

To date during my research I have only come across this name in the north of England, when it has been an obvious miss spelling of the Priestnall name, one will always find the misspelt name being corrected in records of an individuals life, or the differences usually noted in the spelling of relatives names. Therefore any reference to Presnell within the Priestnall name analysis, is to give the researcher an insight into the total separation at this time of the name from Priestnall genealogy.

How widely spread is the name?
To give an insight into the current spread of the Priestnall name (and their derivatives), you may view an analysis of the name, by county, taken from a database of in excess of 42 million U.K. names, published in 1998.

There is no doubt that the known names and variations all originate from north Cheshire and from there the wings have spread throughout the world. To give an insight of the spread of the names within England, I have prepared a rough analysis of the Registrar General Birth, Marriage and Death records for the period 1837 to 1870 giving the registration district and county totals.

By far the most exact analysis is from the 1881 census of Great Britain. This census covers a population in excess of 30 million men, women and children and research of the census returns reveals only 200 Priestnall's and 185 Priestner's.

To view the full transcription of all the Priestnall / Priestner 1881 census returns, go to the census section on the menu.


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