Kendall

The name of Kendall primarily originates from the historic county of Westmorland and the town of Kendall, other origins are Candelle in France. The Comte de Candalle. John De Foix became the Earl of Kendall, from this derivation and is one of the more plausible candidates for the position of secretary to Richard III.    From a genealogy perspective the Kendall lines of descent can be confusing and historians have previously linked Kendall families which are not obviously connected.   The suffix “de Kendale” was extremely common in the 12th to 15th centuries, partly due the location of the town of Kendall and the ongoing wars with the scots.  Although the Barony of Kendall may be a link to the name of some Kendall families, Kendall’s may also derive their names from those who lived in the area or were soldiers settled in the town who found their fortune during the various wars north of the border.  At this time in early history people changed their name suffixes relatively easily, and in some cases manors and surrounding villages changed their names based on those that obtained ownership.

Although this research has looked into other Kendall families, the main family researched is that awarded the arms of “Gules a fess checky or and azure between three eagles displayed or” in 1448.  These Kendall’s gained Twycross through marriage to the Fitzherbert’s and gained further lands in Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and London .  In the 18th century the surviving main line of descent settled in the village of Thorpe Langton, Leicestershire.  This Kendall family also has cadet branches which settled in Austrey, Blaby and Takely.   The Kendalls of Austrey, Twycoss and Smithsby by Henry John Broughton Kendall provides some background to this Kendall family.