Blindell

Blindell One-Name Study

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About the study

The Blindell One Name Study was started in 2007. This study started as an extension to my own family tree project and is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Margaret Eileen Green (nee Blindell, formerly Nolte / Franklin), and my very special maternal grandparents. This is a rare surname and no descendants of my 3x Great Grandfather, Benjamin Blindell (~1811-1860), carrying the Blindell surname survive today.

Variant names

Primarily collecting data for the BLINDELL name but also its variants BLINDLE. BLINDEL, BLONDEL.

Name origin

Blindell as a surname is not commonly in surname dictionaries. However, 12th century references state BLINDELL as a variant of the surname BLONDEL (source: Reaney, P.H., A Dictionary of English Surnames, 3rd ed. rev., Oxford University Press, 1997). Blondel, is a diminutive of blond, 'fair', of hair or complexion. References in 17th and 18th century Bedfordshire Parish Registers give variations from Blendell, Blondel, Blondell, Bloundel, Bloundell, Blundel, Blundell, Blundil, Blundle.

Historical occurrences of the name

Sir James Blindell (1884-1937) knight, MP and businessman. Sir James Blindell was a UK Liberal Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Holland and Boston from 1929 until his death.

Ronald J. R. Blindell, businessman and Chairman of Brentford Football Club 1967 until his death in 1969. Regarded as the man who saved Brentford Football Club when in 1967 it was in danger of being taken over by Queens Park Rangers by personally granting an interest free loan of 104,000 GBP.

John Blindell, owner of Blindell's (John) Black Vein Steam Colliery Co., Pontypool in 1901 and a former ship owner.

Name frequency

From the index of the 1881 census produced by the Church of the Later Day Saints there were 59 recorded. This generates a frequency of 1 in 500,000 or 0.00015. According to the ONS database there are 101 instances of Blindell as of September 2002. This is a ranking of the 32,945th most popular surname.

Distribution of the name

In the 1881 census only 59 individuals have the Blindell surname. Of this the most populous counties are Hertfordshire (22 individuals), Bedfordshire (21 individuals) and Middlesex (11 individuals). Then very small numbers in Glamorgan, Kent and Northumberland.

Data

All of the Blindell entries in the General Register Offices for England and Wales (from 1837 to 2006) totalling over 600 entries have been indexed (260 births, 209 marrages and 202 deaths). The 39 National Burial Index entries have also been added. A single Blindell individual has been identified in the available BMD Scottish records this being the marriage entry in 1882 for Robert Blindell, a seaman.

Blindell's from the 1841 to 1911 Census in England and Wales and collected earlier and overseas records have now been catalogued to produce fragments of individual family trees and 'twiglets' currently 383 individuals. These fragments have been cross-referenced into the publically available BMD records. Released entries (limited to certain counties) from the 1911 Census covering England and Wales resulted in 95 individuals for the Blindell surname which have been added into existing family pedigree fragments.

Available pre-1837 entries from church and workhouse records for the Parish of Hitchin (Hertfordshire) are complete. Other life events from birth, baptism, marraige, death and burial records and now being collected and indexed. Supplementary material is also being collected including overseas records (rare as not many Blindell's emigrated), wills and military records. Also appearance of Blindell's in directories, newspapers and within government and military records.

The Blindell Families website - to be released in 2012

This One Name Study also includes pedigrees submitted to me by other Blindell researchers all helping to build a picture of the family migration patterns across time. Further information and photographs would be much appreciated.

Ongoing projects include:

adding into existing pedigree fragments forward from 1911 using BMD records;
addition of Blindell / Blundell variants from the Bedfordshire Parish records due to the high incidence of the Luton registration entries post-1837 (20%);
Individual parish register searches for Hertfordshire (Ware & North Mimms in preparation) due to known concerntrations of the Blindell surname in this county and the most promising links to my branch of the family.
linking of other Blindell family trees and photographs recently passed to me by other genealogists

If you can help or have Blindell's that need tracing then please contact me.

DNA

A Blindell and variants Y-chromosome DNA project has been registered with one of the main test companies. More information can be found here.

Would any Blindell man who is interested in contributing please contact me for details of the project.

Links

* DNA Project - http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Blindell/

Contact

Mrs Caroline Smith

Is your surname registered?