The Reynell surname is an early form of the

Reynolds (surname) Reynolds is a surname in the English language. Among the earliest recorded use of the surname is from the early 14th century. English Reynolds Reynolds is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Reynold", where the given name of the father, ...

Coat of arms

The coat of arms for the Reynell family is described as: Reynells of Ogwell :ARMS - Masonry argent and sable, a chief indented of the second. :CREST - A fox passant or, being the crest of Strighall. :MOTTOES - Murus aheneus esto, and Indubitata Fides. :SUPPORTERS - As anciently borne, two foxes.

History

Sources include Rev. John Prince's ''The Worthies of Devon'' (1697?), and John Lambrick Vivian (editor), ''The Visitations of the Heralds to the County of Devon'' (1895). Prince described the Reynell family as being 'descended from a very antient stock, transplanted hither from the county of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

... above three hundred years since; where it still flourishes in worshipful degree'. The ''Heralds Visitations of 1620'' traced earlier generations of the family and described the first of this distinguished line as ' Richard Reinell who had the custody of the Castles of

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

(built by

Baldwin de Redvers Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon (died 4 June 1155), feudal baron of Plympton in Devon, was the son of Richard de Redvers and his wife Adeline Peverel. He was one of the first to rebel against King Stephen, and was the only first rank magnat ...

) and Launceston... 1191, Sheriff of Devon 1191-94' Between the reigns of

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

and

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...

, the Reynells 'were ever men of great credit, fidelity, and service, to their Kings, country and state as well in peace matters as wars' They had great 'revenues, offices, lordships and lands, in sundry shires' including

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, but their greatest possessions were in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. By the end of this period these included Malston (Old and New), Netherton, Frogmere,

East Ogwell East Ogwell is a village and former civil parish south of Exeter, now in the parish of Ogwell, in the Teignbridge district, in the county of Devon, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 855. In 1891 the parish had a population of 2 ...

Butterley Butterley is a village in the English county of Derbyshire near to Ripley. It is the site of the Midland Railway – Butterley, as well as the old Butterley Brickworks. Notable residents *Sir James Outram, hero of the Indian Mutiny, was born ...

, Sandhulk,

Ellacombe Ellacombe may refer to: * Ellacombe apparatus, a method of ringing bells * Ellacombe, Devon * Henry Thomas Ellacombe (1790–1885), English divine and antiquary * Henry Nicholson Ellacombe Henry Nicholson Ellacombe (1822–1916) was a British plan ...

, Crews-Morchard,

Upton Upton may refer to: Places United Kingdom England * Upton, Slough, Berkshire (in Buckinghamshire until 1974) * Upton, Buckinghamshire, a hamlet near Aylesbury * Upton, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough * Upton, Huntingdonshire, a location in Cambridge ...

, Hidswell, Nootcombe, East and West Thwangley, Nassey, East-Raddon, Colebrook, Trebarch, Trebligha, Hyerland, Watringdon, Overcombe, Upbutterley, Nethercombe, Carpenters Fosse, Cottesbury, Ley, South-Downs, Shernewicke, Pittes, Eastabrook, Snedon, Penmalth, Overhosdon, Polhele, Tremollow, Wiero, St. Germans,

Bodmin Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordere ...

and lands in other villages and in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

. Some Reynells were with Henry V at the winning of

Harfleur Harfleur () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It was the principal seaport in north-western France for six centuries, until Le Havre was built about five kilometres (three miles) downstream i ...

(a port later replaced by

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

) and Agincourt in 1415, some were keepers of the Castle at

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

, one of the

Cinque Ports The Confederation of Cinque Ports () is a historic group of coastal towns in south-east England – predominantly in Kent and Sussex, with one outlier (Brightlingsea) in Essex. The name is Old French, meaning "five harbours", and alludes to th ...

, some were 'knights of this shire in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

' and some served 'their Kings with a band of their own

men at arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a knig ...

'. One Reynell was secretary to Henry VI and travelled with him to conclude a peace with France. The most consistent association of the family was with the law, 'sitting with the judges of the kingdom, in taking assizes, and determining grievous enormities', and it is to this tradition that Richard Reynell (d.1585) belonged, being a commissioner of the peace for nearly forty years.

People

People whose family name is or was Reynell include: *

Gladys Reynell Gladys Reynell (1881–1956) was one of South Australia's earliest potters and is known for her bold modernist style and her preference for working with native clays. Family and education Reynell was born on 4 September 1881 in Glenelg, a s ...

(1881–1956), Australian potter *

John Reynell John Reynell (9 February 1809 – 15 June 1873) was an English-born emigrant to the colony of South Australian where he became established as a wheat farmer, a sheep and cattle breeder, and a vigneron and winemaker. Reynell was born in Ilfraco ...

(1809–1873), South Australian winemaker * Richard Reynell (disambiguation) - multiple people *

Thomas Reynell Thomas Reynell (13 September 1625 – 1698) of East Ogwell, Devon, was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1689. Reynell was the eldest son of Sir Richard Reynell of East Ogwell, ...

(1625 – 1698), English lawyer and politician

References

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