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MARSHALL NAME
The name Marshall,
both as a surname and as a title, is familiar to all. The name means,
literally, horse-servant and in this sense it is still used in France
(marechal, meaning a farrier).
This form in old
High German is maraschalh which passed through Low Latin as mariscalcus into
Old French as mareschal. It was introduced into England,
Scotland and Ireland
with the coming of the Normans.
Then a normal way of getting
about for the more prosperous was on horseback. The man who looked after the
horses was the Marshall. Even the
root word is found in the Saxon tongue and schalk, a servant, though now
obsolete, seems to have been in familiar use in early times.
Under the form of Marshall
the name has risen in status. Horses were so important for fighting and hunting
and as a status symbol from the earliest recorded times that the care of the
stables, in royal circles, was an honour given to one of the king’s most
trusted men.
In the days before the Norman
Conquest the word for this important position was Horse-thegn but afterwards it
was replaced by the old French mareschakl( horse
servant).
The word in England
developed along two different lines. At court and in the households of great
men it continued to rise in status until it reached the dizzy height of the
premier earldom of England.
In Scotland
positions like constable and steward became post of great dignity.
However, in all countries where
the name occurs there is little doubt that most of the Marshalls
derive their name from the humbler occupation of horse-servant or groom.
The name occurs in England
as early as 1084 and in Scotland
(Glasgow) as early as 1136. The
modern surnames are: Marshall, Marschall, Marskell, Mascall, It also occurs in
French Canada as Mareschall. Marescal, Marechault and
Marescoux.
Other Canadian and American names
from the German and Slavic include Marchallek
and Marshak.
Credit: This information was printed in the Toronto Telegram Saturday, April 10, 1971 in a column
entitled ‘ Your Name’ by Rev. James
McGiven.
The
James Marshall Family History
The James
Marshall Family Tree
The Fred
Marshall Residence
The Fred
Marshall Residence, Alternate View
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Marilyn Marshall e-mail if you have any further information or comments
