Pendle

Recorded in many spelling forms including Pendall, Pendell, Pendel, Pendle, Pendrill, Pindal, and Pindell, this is an English surname. It is locational and originates from either Pendle in the county of Lancashire, or from some now "lost" medieval village. The derivation is from the Ancient British word "pen" meaning " hill", which predates the Roman Invasion of 55 a.d. To this was added in about the 7th century the Old English word "hyll", which means exactly the same! Later in about the 15th century as the original "hyll" had become compounded with Pen, a further "Hill" was added to give the unique Pendle Hill or Hill, Hill and Hill. The placename is recorded as Pennul in the "Inquisitions post mortem" of 1285, and as Penhul in the charters of the manors of Henry de Lacy, in 1305. Early examples of surviving church recordings include Elizabeth Pindell, the daughter of Robert Pindell, who was christened on March 1st 1608, at St. Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, Edmunde Pendell, the son of Hughe Pendell, christened on August 1st 1613, at Manchester Cathedral, Lancashire, and Richard Pendrill, who married Ann Hopkins at St Benets, Pauls Wharf, in the city of London, on August 23rd 1741. The first recorded spelling of the family name may be that of John Pindell, which was dated 1556, St. Matthew's church, Friday Street, in the city of London. This was during the reign of Queen Mary 1st of England, known to history as "Bloody Mary", 1521 - 1558, and erroneously confused with Mary, Queen of Scots, 1540 - 1587. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.