Ducastel - Name

This interesting name is English and French. It is topographical and is derived from the French word "castel", meaning a castle or fortified building, and especially the residence of a feudal lord. The name could also be occup[ational and describe a person who lived or worked at such a place. The prepositions de or du where they exist, whilst again French in origin, were also used by some of the English nobility for many centuries to indicate land or estate ownership. Literally they describe somebody who was of or from a castle.Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names. The name development since 1154 (see below) includes Henry de Castell of Cambridgeshire in 1260, John del Castel of Yorkshire in 1307, and William ate Castele in the county of Kent in 1317. The modern surname is found as Castle, Castles, Castell Castells, Chasteau, de Castle, Ducastel, Du Castel, Kastel, Chatelet, Castelletti and many others. Richard Castle, also known more correctly as Cassels, was an architect who was born in Germany, and moved to Ireland in 1720. He designed many of the early Georgian buildings in Dublin for which the city is so famous. A coat of arms granted to the family has the blazon of Argent, three towers gules, the crest being a castle in flames. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Castel. This was dated 1148-1154, in the register of Bec Abbey, in the county of Sussex, during the reign of King Stephen of England, 1135 - 1154.