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No discussion of
Normandy would be complete without at least a brief summary of the Norman
invasion of England. Since there have been a large number of books written on
this subject, anyone interested in much more detail can easily locate copies in
most libraries, both large and small. The short discussion of the invasion that
follows will likely satisfy most readers of this manuscript. With the death of
King Edward of England on January 5, 1066, who reigned 23 years and left no
heirs, the stage was set for a drama, which included a three-way conflict for
the crown. The leading claimant was Harold Godwinson, brother-in-law to Edward. His
position as an advisor to Edward and his esteem among his peers made him a
logical successor to the throne. Next, William, Duke of Normandy, also laid
claim to the English throne. His claim was based on both his blood relationship
with Edward (they were distant cousins) and a message carried to him by Harold
in 1064. William asserted that the message from Edward anointed him as the next
King of England. The third rival for the throne was Harald
Hardada, King of Norway. His claim had less reason than the other two
as Hardada had ruled Norway jointly with his
nephew Mangus until 1047 when Mangus conveniently died. Mangus had earlier cut a deal with
Harthacut the Danish ruler of England. As each had no male heir, both promised
their kingdom to the other in the event of his death. When Harthacut died,
Mangus was too busy battling for the rule of Denmark and unable to claim the
English throne. Therefore, Edward became the Anglo-Saxon ruler of England.
Harold acted quickly on his
claim based upon the dying Edward=s supposedly uttered AInto Harold=s hands I commit my
Kingdom@. With this endorsement, the council of royal advisors
unanimously selected Harold as King. His coronation took place the same day as
Edward=s burial, whereupon Harold=s troubles began. In mid September King Hardrada of
Norway made the first attack against King Harold II. Hardrada=s invasion force landed on the Northern English coast
and headed towards the City of York. Near York the Viking army overran an
English force blocking the York road and captured the city. In London, news of
the invasion sent King Harold hurriedly north at the head of his army, picking
up reinforcements along the way. The speed of Harold=s forced march allowed him to surprise Hardrada=s army on September 25, as it camped at Stamford
Bridge outside of York. A fierce battle followed with a real slaughter of
Hardrada=s army. King Hardrada fell and what remained of the
army fled to their ships. The defeat was so devastating that only 24 of the
invasion force=s original 240 ships
made the trip back home. Resting after his victory, Harold received word of
William=s landing near Hastings.
William=s landing on English soil had been in the planning for
some months. His first task was to commission the building of a fleet large
enough to convey his force and provisions across the English Channel. These
boats were based on the Viking longboats and between 500 and 700 ships (the
larger number is the most likely) were built or requisitioned in a very short
time. After much delay due to weather,
William=s ships sailed from St Valery on the evening of 28
September 1066. Sailing over night they arrived at Wilting Manor, outside Hastings, on
the English coast in the early morning hours. It is estimated that William went
ashore with approximately 5000 men and 1900 horses for knights. The force moved
up the coast to Hastings. It was here that the consolidation process took place
for some two weeks prior to the Battle.
Harold=s forces had been arriving all day in small groups on
13 October 1066. The location of the battle was chosen with care by Harold.
Caldbec Hill was chosen because it was well known in the area, had a natural
all around visibility and was easy to reach by road or track. By nightfall, at
least 7500 men should have arrived. Preparations were laid to challenge William
as soon as possible.
On the morning of 14 October 1066 William=s
men set off from Hastings in a long column, due to the forest terrain at that
time. It should have taken William and his men about 2 hours to march the 10 km
north to Senlac Ridge (facing Caldbec Hill) and organize their ranks for the
impending battle. Separated by a few hundred yards, the lines of the two armies
awaited a signal from their leaders. The signal was given and the battle was
joined. The tide of battle ebbed to and fro for the better part of the day, but
in the late afternoon Harold was killed. Without their leader, the Saxons
finally retreated up the hill and into the forest on the other side, possibly
in the direction of London, taking any horses that had been withdrawn for
safety. William had won against all odds. On Christmas day 1066, William I was
crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey. William ruled England until his
death in 1087.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recalls the Norman King in its
entry for that year; ABut amongst other
things is not to be forgotten that good peace that he made in this land; so
that a man of any account might go over his kingdom unhurt with his bosom full
of gold. No man durst slay another, had he never so much evil done to the
other; and if any churl lay with a woman against her will, he soon lost the
limb that he played with. He truly reigned over England; and by his capacity so
thoroughly surveyed it that there was not a hide of land in England that he wist
not who had it, or what it was worth, and afterwards set it down in his book”.
In passing to the next chapters of this manuscript, it is interesting to
note the depth of Norman influence can be judged from the popularity of their
personal names such as Thomas, Robert, Henry,
Walter and William. That is true in both the United Kingdom
and United States and will be borne out in the Curle or Curl family records
that follow.
THE English CONNECTION
The Curle (or Kyrle) families are
an ancient one in England, having settled for many centuries (since 1066) in
the counties of Sussex, Kent, Hertford and London. Robert of
Criel (or Robertus de Cruel), as discussed in the previous section, was the
unquestioned ancestor of the Curl families of today, in both the
United Kingdom and United States. His record, found in the Domesday
Book-Sussex, was the earliest Curl entry in English history.
Between the eleventh and thirteenth
century, history throws very little light on the descendants of Robert of Criel
with the exception that Robert had at least one known son, Simon de Criel.
Simon is shown in the records as being of a Norman baronial family in county
Kent. Burewold Crul lived at Calpestret about 1120. He was probably another son
of Robert Cruel, and grandfather of Bertram Crioll who was a man of importance
in Kent after 1200. Bartholomew de Kyrle I on March 22, 1226, was a merchant of
Sena Vetula. Bartholomew de Kyrle II on June 6, 1277 was going soon to Wales
with the King. This same Bartholomew on October 8, 1297, had a son Bartholomew
de Kyrle III in Aldebury (Wiltshire).
Nicholas, Robert, Simon, Thomas and
William Kyrle, with others, attacked three manors in Kent before June 26,
1312. Gilbert, William and
Robert de Kyrle were pardoned by the King (November 12, 1318) for being
adherents of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster (Lancashire). A Robert Kurle in 1295
resided at Old Town near Ross (now Horn Green), Hereford. He may have been a
son of Bartholomew de Kyrle II.
Sir Nicholas de Kyrle, son of Sir Nicholas
de Kyrle II, was born in 1283. In 1304 he held Croxton Manor, county of
Leicester. He went overseas on 3 May 1313 with Aymer de Valencia, Earl of Pembroke.
Nicholas was a witness in London (27 Aug 1311); on the Commission of Peace (9
Jan 1317) and a Justice (24 Mar 1322), both in county Kent; a Lieutenant of the
Warden of the Cinque Ports in county Kent (by 29 Jun 1323); sent to the Duchy
of Aquitaine on the King=s
service (28 Jun 1324), having returned to county Kent by 14 Feb 1325. [Cinque
Ports: collective medieval name of the five English Channel ports in Great
Britain: Sandwich, Hythe, Romney (now New Romney), and Hastings. These ports
were chartered as an organization, in the 11th century, by King
Edward the Confessor. William I subsequently granted these ports the privileges
of an almost independent state, under command of a warden, with a court at
Dover Castle].
This same Sir
Nicholas de Kyrle was Captain and Admiral of the King=s fleet, as well as the Cinque Ports, from the
mouth of the Thames River westward (28 Dec 1325). On 15 Aug 1326 he was Admiral
of the fleet at Portsmouth. His wife Rose Kyriel survived him and it was
recorded on 1 Feb 1327 that his heirs owned the manor of Hynton, county
Cambridge. The records show Nicholas had at least three sons, they being John,
Nicholas and Bertram.
Sir John Kyrle granted his mother Stokesbury
Manor for life on 18 February 1335, and by April of that same year she had
married John Bertram. On 25 October 1339, or before, John Kyrle valiantly
defended the Isle of Thanet (county Kent). He was a witness at Westminster on 1
March 1340. On 18 August 1343 John was living at Westenhanger, county Kent,
where he built in that same year a fine Castle, with seven towers and a
gatehouse (about half of it still stands and is a fine ruin). John Kyrle
had a company of Soldiers in France on 13 June 1360, and again on 18 February
1361. He was Commissioner at Rochester, Kent, on both 12 November 1355 and 20
April 1371. He was last mentioned on 10 December 1377 and probably died soon
after. The records show John had, at least, sons John and Nicholas.
John Kyrle, on 18 February 1431, was
mentioned as one of the sons of Sir John de Kyrle, the Elder knight (above). He
married Alice and had a daughter Joan Kyrle who married John Wykes. John had no
sons. Sir Nicholas Kyrle, son of Sir John Kyrle the Elder knight had one son of
whom there is no know record.
Sir William Kyrle was a Peace Commissioner
for Kent on 21 March 1413. His son and heir was Sir Thomas Kyrle. Thomas was
his father=s heir on
28 May 1427. He was on a commission at Dover concerning an expedition to
France (1 August 1426).Again in Dover, Thomas was on the Commission for Peace (1 March 1429).
On 6 June 1437, Cecily, late wife of John Hill of Spaxton, got a license to marry
Sir Thomas Kyrle. Thomas was called the King=s
knight and Captain of the Town (Dover) and Castle of Gourney (5 July 1437). He
was Lieutenant of the Town of Calais, France on 20 June 1440.
Walter Kyrle of Walford Court (Manor
House), county of Hereford, was alive in 1489, married, with two sons, Walter
and James. First son Walter had an only daughter and heiress, Alice, who wedded
Christopher Clarke. Second son James had nine sons: Walter, William, Charles,
Thomas, Hugh, John, James, Richard and Anthony. Walter, first son of James
Kyrle above, married Joan Warncombe and had with her sons Robert (m. Jane
Evans) and James (m. Anne Waller). Robert, with wife Jane, had two sons, James
and Walter. James, brother of Robert, had with wife Anne, seven sons: Robert,
James, John, William, Richard, Edward and Thomas. James (wife Anne) died 1
February 1646. His first son, Robert, married first Mildred Maxey, and second
Elizabeth Brayn. Robert died in 1669, age fifty-one, and was buried in the
family chapel at Walford Church on 2 October 1669.
The
earliest Curle record available in the East Sussex County Records
located at The Maltings, Castle Precincts, Lewes, is the last will and
testament record of John Curle the elder of the Town of Lewes in the
Parish of All Saints. It was written 4 December 1562 and probated 6 June 1563.
Family members mentioned in the will were wife Agnes, son John, other children
not named, and brother Nicholas Curle. This son John appears in the 1568
records of The Town Book of Lewes, 1542–1701. He was being reimbursed
for expenses related to duties in the Borough of Lewes. The Town Book makes
note of the government and put briefly, there was a society of the more
prominent townsmen known as the Twelve. It was from this Society of the Twelve
that the Constables and Headboroughs (or petty constables) were chosen, usually
two of each.
The will
record of John Curle (East Sussex Record Office [E.S.R.O.], 11
October 1660, Town of Lewes) establishes Nicholas Curle
was his brother along with sisters Hannaniah Curle Mullett and
Barbary Curle Elitharp.
John and Nicholas were great-grandsons of John Curle the
elder above.
Nicholas Curle
was apparently a lifelong resident of St. Michael's Parish, Lewes,
Sussex County, England. He likely was born there although no birth record has
been found yet. Nicholas was a haberdasher by occupation. The British
definition for haberdasher is a dealer in sewing notions and small
wares. He was most notable for being a Dissenter from the Anglican
Church (Church of England). Dissenters were persons who refused to
accept the authority of, or conform to, the laws of the Church of England. The
term was commonly used in 17th-century England, especially after passage of the
Toleration Act of 1689, to denote groups who separated from the church.
Nicholas was listed on the records of St. Michael's Church as not attending
from 1663 to 1665. The English Revolution, also called the Puritan
Revolution, occurred from 1640 to 1660. It began as a protest against an
oppressive and uncompromising government. The causes can be traced to social,
economic, constitutional, and religious developments over a century or more.
Nicholas and others like him were fortunate as Queen Elizabeth tolerated
Dissenters while persecuting Catholics, Unitarians, and Puritans of the extreme
left.
The Lewes
Town Book records show Nicholas served as High Constable (Police Officer)
in 1647 and again in 1659. He was a Society of the Twelve member in 1647, 1649,
1651, 1657, 1661, and 1663. In 1665 householders were assessed taxes based on
the number of hearths in the house C Nicholas had three. The number of hearths per house
ranged from 1 to 10, with the average being 3.
Judith Havoll
of Lewes married Nicholas Curle on 2 Feb. 1626/7. There were
twelve children born of this marriage: four daughters, eight sons. They were
Susan, Nicholas, Allen, Mary, Allen, Susannah, Elizabeth, Joshua, Thomas,
Pasco, John and Samuel. There were indications from previous Virginia research
that three of the sons, Thomas, Pasco, and Samuel, had migrated to the American
colonies. Present research has located
the will records for both Nicholas and his wife Judith, along with birth and
baptism records for the children. In addition, some marriage and burial records
have been found. All these records give proof positive there was a Nicholas Curle
of Lewes and he was the father of Thomas, Pasco, and Samuel who did emigrate to
Virginia. The earliest known records for the Curle surname in Elizabeth City County, Virginia show the following.
1. Pasco Curle:
18 May 1688, settlement of the estate of Thomas Myles.
2. Samuel Curle:
7 Apr 1691, witness to Colwell/Tucker deed.
3. Thomas Curle:
18 Sep 1692, legal suit filed against him by Hugh Campbell.
There have been no records found for the passage of Pasco
Curle, Samuel Curle and Thomas Curle to the
American colonies. The principal port of
departure for emigrants to the American colonies was Bristol,
followed by London, Southampton, Weymouth, Plymouth, and many others.
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When conducting research on the Coats of
Arms for the Curl families, one finds commonality in the shield.
Example: vert (green), on a chevron argent (silver) between three
fleurs-de-lis, all or (gold). This is common to the English families Crule,
Curle, Kyrle, Kyrlle and Kerle. Some Curle and Kerle families
have an additional charge on the shield, this being a cinquefoil gules (red).
The cinquefoil is a five-petal rose (see shield on opening web page). Next, on
the crest a wreath (or and vert) with a mount, vert, a hedgehog,
or. This crest is for the Kyrle and Curle families. The most significant part
of the shield is the fleur-de-lis because the fleur-de-lis has always been
associated with France, and for hundreds of years it was the nation=s coat of arms. Again, the Norman
Connection in English heraldry.
THE Early American CONNECTION
The earliest known record for the Curle surname in the American Colonies was that of Pasco Curle
in 1688. He was the son of Nicholas Curle of Lewes, Sussex County,
England. Pasco was a resident of
Elizabeth City County, Virginia. He married Sarah _____ about 1672. There were seven children born of this
marriage: three daughters, four sons. They were Sarah, Mary, Judith, Nicholas,
Pasco, Joshua, and John. Sarah Curle married her first cousin, Joshua Curle,
son of Samuel Curle and Mary Armistead. Mary Curle was married at least twice. Her first husband
was Captain Henry Jenkins (1713), with the second husband being Anthony Tucker
(1728). Judith Curle married John Bailey (about 1695). Nicholas Curle
was twice married. Nicholas’ first wife
was Elizabeth Gutherick (14 Jun 1700). They had no known issue. His
second wife was Jane Wilson (about 1708). Pasco Curle died in 1701, under age. Joshua Curle
married Rosea Tyler (about 1713). John Curle had no known record
of marriage.
Nicholas Curle, son of Pasco and Sarah Curle above,
married his second wife, Jane Wilson about 1708. She was the daughter of William Wilson.
Nicholas and Jane had four known
children; they were Wilson, Pasco, Jane and Mary.
Wilson Curle married Priscilla Meade (about 1735).
Priscilla was the daughter of Colonel Andrew Meade and Mary Latham. Pasco Curle died as a young man
(about 20 years old). Jane Curle married George Walker (about 1732). Mary Curle
first married Alexander Hamilton (about 1733). She married secondly Col John Nash (about 1740).
Nicholas Curle was the County Clerk in Elizabeth City in 1702.
After the County Lieutenant, the most important officer in Colonial times was
the County Clerk, who was not only the clerk, but also whose house was
the Clerk’s Office, where the county records were kept, and who was
probably the legal adviser for the people in general at a time when educated
lawyers at least did not abound. The
office also brought in a certain salary plus official position, which in that
day carried with it a great deal of power and importance. Next in importance to the Clerk was the
Sheriff, who was appointed by the Governor.
Nicholas Curle was a Justice in 1700 and a Sheriff in 1702. He
was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Session of October 25, 1710, representing
Elizabeth City County. Nicholas Curle died 15 August 1714 at the age of
35-years.
Wilson Curle married Priscilla Meade about 1735. There were eight
children born of this marriage: six sons, two daughters. They were David Wilson,
Nicholas Wilson, Andrew, William Roscoe Wilson, Hamilton, Wilson, Jane and Mary. David Wilson Curle married Mary Walker.
Nicholas Wilson Curle had no known marriage record. Andrew Curle married Ann _____ .
William Roscoe Wilson Curle was first married to Euphan Wallace,
second to Sarah Lyon and lastly to Mary Kello.
Hamilton Curle had no known marriage record. Jane Curle married
Moss Wallace Armistead. Mary Latham Curle
first married Robert Wallace (about 1762). Her second marriage was to William Armistead (about 1772).
William Roscoe Wilson Curle was discussed at length earlier in this history. He first married Euphan Wallace (about 1762)
who was a daughter of Capt. James Wallace and Martha ______. This marriage
produced one known child: Wilson Curle who married Lockey Langhorne. William Roscoe Wilson Curle married secondly Sarah
Lyon in Aug 1776. There was no known issue from this marriage. Sarah was the widow
of Walter Lyon, ESQ., of Prince Anne County. William Roscoe Wilson Curle’s third marriage
was to Mary Kello (abt 1781) and they had one child: Elizabeth Kello Curle who married
Philip Nicholas Brown, Jr.. William Roscoe Wilson Curle
died before 30 Mar 1782.
Thanks for spending time on my web site!
The
Clock Of Life
The
clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will
stop
At late or early hour.
To lose one's
wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a
loss
That no man can restore.
The present
only is our own,
So Live, Love, toil with a will
--
Place no faith in 'Tomorrow' --
For the clock may then be still.
Robert H. Smith
1932-1982
Curl DNA Project
My Weblog
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