Birrell

Birrell
This is an unusual and interesting English surname, but one of medieval French origins. It is a diminutive implying 'son of' or 'little' of the Olde French word "borel", which described a type of coarse reddish-brown wollen cloth with long hairs. Thus, the name is a metonymic occupational name for a worker in the wollen trade, possibly a wool carder, or alternatively one who habitually dressed in clothes of this colour. " Borel" was also used as a personal name, and as such described a comely man or a countryman. In the modern idiom, the spellings include Birrell, Birel, Burrell, Borrell, Burrill, Borrel and others. An early example of the surname recording was that of Ann Elizabeth Borrill who was christened on 5th February 1748, at St Mary Whitechapel, Stepney. A coat of arms most associated with the family has the blazon of a gold shield charged with a red saltire between four green leaves, on a blue chief, a lion's head erased between two battle axes proper. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Burel. That was dated 1194, in the Pipe Rolls, Wiltshire, during the reign of King Richard 1st, known as "The Lionheart 1189 - 1199". Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Birrell — ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Augustine Birrell (1850–1933), britischer Schriftsteller Francis Birrell (1889–1935), britischer Journalist, Übersetzer und Literaturkritiker William Birrell (1897–1968), schottischer Fußballspieler und… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Birrell, Augustine — ▪ British politician born Jan. 19, 1850, Wavertree, Lancashire, Eng. died Nov. 20, 1933, London  politician and man of letters whose policies, as British chief secretary for Ireland (1907–16), contributed to the Easter Week rising of Irish… …   Universalium

  • Birrell — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Birrell, Augustine —    M.P., LL.D. (b. 1850)    Essayist, etc. Obiter Dicta (1884), Res Judicatæ (1892), Men, Women, and Books (1894), Collected Essays (1900), Miscellanies (1901). Books on Charlotte Bronté, Hazlitt, etc. Ed. Boswell s Johnson (1907) …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Augustine Birrell — Infobox Officeholder honorific prefix = name = Augustine Birrell honorific suffix = KC imagesize = 150px small caption = Sketch of Augustine Birrell order = office = Chief Secretary for Ireland term start = 1907 term end = 1916 birth date = birth …   Wikipedia

  • Francis Birrell — (* 1889; † 1935) war ein britischer Journalist, Herausgeber, Übersetzer und Literaturkritiker, der zur sogenannten Bloomsbury Group[1][2] zählte und als Freund der Autoren James Elroy Flecker[3] und David Garnett auftrat. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • James Birrell — Infobox Architect caption = name = James Birrell nationality = Australian birth date = 1928 [ [http://www.library.jcu.edu.au/Specials/Archives/birrell.shtml James Birrell Collection] ] birth place = Melbourne, Australia death date = death place …   Wikipedia

  • Mark Birrell — Mark Alexander Birrell (born 7 February 1958) is a solicitor, company director and a former Cabinet Minister in the Australian state of Victoria. Contents 1 Early life 2 Politics 3 In private enterprise 4 …   Wikipedia

  • Augustine Birrell — (* 19. Januar 1850 bei Liverpool; † 20. November 1933) war ein englischer Schriftsteller und Politiker. Augustine Birrell Ausbildung und Familie Birrell, der Sohn eines Politikers, besuchte die Schule Amersh …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gerry Birrell — Infobox Person name = Gerry Birrell image size = 113px caption = birth date = birth date|1944|7|30|mf=y birth place = Glasgow death date = death date and age|1973|6|23|1944|7|30|mf=y death place = Rouen, France occupation = Racing driver spouse …   Wikipedia

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