About the study

The DARTNELL One-Name Study was registered with the Guild in 1988 and grew out of my fascination with my father’s maternal grandmother Emma Dartnell and her grandmother with the wonderful name Tryphena Dartnall. This family has its roots in the Kentish Weald, and there is a small DARKNELL branch persisting from pre-parish-register times. There is also another completely separate Dartnell family based in Ireland with probable Huguenot origins.

The aim is to collect data on everyone recorded with this surname and assemble them into pedigrees on AQ (Ancestral Quest) as far as possible. I have concentrated on the English lines first but have much information from other, mainly English-speaking, countries as well. These have all been added to familysearch.org with sources in the Notes so they are widely available.

Variant names

Modern forms include several D*TN*L variants encompassing prefixes DART-, DURT and DUT and suffixes NAIL(L), NAL(L), NEL(L). The commonest are DARTNELL and DARTNALL, then DUTNALL and DURTNALL.

This study is complicated by the evolution of the surname from mediaeval times and the incredible number of 528 variants and deviants. Eighty three mediaeval variants have been found as follows:

Arkenbolde, Arkinbold, Arkynbold, Barkynghole, Berkenolde, Berkewold, Berknold, Berkwold, Burkynghole, Darkenhale, Darkenhall, Darkenhole, Darkenholes, Darkenholt, Darkenholte, Darkenol, Darkenold, Darkenoll, Darkenwold, Darkenwolde, Darkinghale, Darkinghold, Darkinghole, Darkingwold, Darkinwold, Darknowelle, Darknowle, Darkynhole, De Darkinghol, De Derkinghole, De Durkynghal, Derkenhole, Derkenold, Derkenole, Derkinghold, Derkynhele, Derkynghole, Derkynhole, Dertknolde, Dirkinghale, Dirkinghol, Dirkynghol, Dirkynghole, Dorkenoll, Dorkinghole, Dorknall, Dorknoll, Dorkynghol, Dorkyngholl, Dorkynnall, Dorkynoll, Dourkinghole, Dourkinhole, Duckynghole, Durckynghole, Durkehole, Durkenall, Durkenhole, Durkinghole, Durkunghole, Durkyngghole, Durkynghale, Durkynghell, Durkyngholde, Durkynghole, Durkyngholl, Durkyngholys, Durkyngwoldys, Durkynhole, Durtenold, D’Yngholl, Dyrkunghol, Erchembald, Erchenbald, Erkenbold, Erkenbolde, Erkinghold, Erkinwald, Erkynbold, Erkynbolde, Erkyngholde, Erkynhold, Thurkynghole.

The mediaeval forms typically had a middle syllable emanating from their locative origin, and there is a gradation into DARKNELL and later D*TN*L forms. The next evolution was to the DARKNELL form of which these 30 variants occurred:

Darckenoll, Darcknalle, Darcknoll, Darkenall, Darkenel, Darkenell, Darknaile, Darknaill, Darknal, Darknale, Darknall, Darknel, Darknell, Darknil, Darknol, Darknold, Darknoll, Derknall, Derknold, Derknoll, Dirknall, Dirknolle, Darknold, Darknolde, Durkynge, Durknal, Durknall, Durknold, Durknoll, Dyrknall

Most DARKNELLS have evolved into modern D*TN*L forms, except for one group located on the Wiltshire/Somerset border area with later offshoots to London etc.

The modern variants are the 105 D*TN*L forms:

Dartanell, Dartenall, Darthenoll, Darthnoll, Dartnael, Dartnele, Dartniall, Dartnaell, Dartnail, Dartnaile, Dartnaill, Dartnal, Dartnale, Dartnall, Dartnals, Dartnawle, Dartneel, Dartneil, Dartneill, Dartnel, Dartnell, Dartniall, Dartnill, Dartnol, Dartnold, Dartnole, Dartnoll, Dartnolle, Dartnowell, Dartnull, Dartonall, Dartynowl, Datnal, Datnall, Datnel, Datnell, Datnol, Datnold, Datnoll, Dattenal, Dattnal, Dawtnall, Dertnal, Dertnall, Dertnold, Detnall, Detnol, Dettnall, Dertnell, Detnell, Dirtnall, Dirtnell, Dortenal, Dortnaile, Dortnal, Dortnall, Dortnaill, Dortnell, Dortnells, Dortnol, Dortnold, Dortnolde, Dortnoll, Dortnols, Dotnal, Dourtnall, Dourtnolle, Durtenall, Durtnail, Durtnal, Durtnale, Durtnall, Durtnalle, Durtnarl, Durtnarll, Durtnel, Durtnell, Durtnelle, Durtnells, Durtnold, Durtnolde, Durtnole, Durtnoll, Durttenal, Durtynell, Dutnail, Dutnal, Dutnale, Dutnall, Dutnalle, Dutnarle,, Dutneal, Dutneall, Dutneill, Dutnel, Dutnell,, Dutnole, Dutnoll, Dutnull, Duttanhall, Duttenall, Duttenhall, Dutternul, Duttnall, Duttnell

Deviant names

As is the case with many surnames it is difficult to establish a firm boundary between true variants and deviants, owing to hearing difficulties and semi-literacy of early scribes, poor enunciation or unfamiliar dialects of the speakers, atrocious penmanship, and later transcribers unfamiliar with local names. So far, 127 deviants have been found, but there are probably many more!

Bartnett, Beadnall, Buttnall, Dadnell, Daftnall, Daftnell, Dahnell, Daitnell, Daitwell, Dalnall, Danknall, Dantnell, Darbnall, Dardell, Dardnal, Dardnell, Dardnells, Darenold, Darhali, Darhall, Darhiell, Darkener, Darklen, Darkull, Darkwell, Darlnall, Darmal, Darnall, Darnalle, Darnell, Darnkal, Darnowll, Darsinell, Dartell, Dartford, Dartiell, Dartmaill, Dartmall, Dartmell, Dartmol, Dartnah, Dartnawell, Dartner, Dartrall, Dartrell, Darttemell, Dartuell, Dartwall, Dartwell, Dartyell, Dashiell, Dastnell, Datnawle, Datwell, Daunet, Daxnall, Demlual, Dentall, Dentnall, Dentnalle, Dettmal, Dettmall, Deutnall, Dewsall, Dintnell, Dirtvall, Ditnel, Ditnell, Dodnell, Dontnal, Dornall, Dornoll, Dorterill, Dournall, Dubnell, Ducknall, Ducknel, Ducknell, Ducnal, Dudhnath, Dudnall, Dudnell, Duitnall, Dulnell, Dulwell, Dumtnall, Duntall, Duntuall, Durdwell, Durham, Durland, Durmall, Durnell, Durntal, Durnvall, Durstnall, Durtall, Durtener, Durthall, Durtmal, Durtmall, Durtmol, Durtnald, Durtuall, Durtwal, Durtwall, Durtwell, Dustnal, Dustnale, Dustnell, Dutland, Dutncall, Dutneau, Dutneau, Dutner, Dutrall, Dutreal, Dutsell, Duttmal, Dutual, Dutulle, Dutwell, Dwitnall, Partnall, Portnall, Putnal, Tatnell

Name origin

Hanks, Coates & McClure (2016) state it is a locative name from a lost place, possibly now Doubleton’s Farm, in Penshurst, Sussex. The county is clearly an error, they having muddled Penhurst, Sussex with Penshurst, Kent. Further research by Mike Durtnall shows that Durkinghole lay at Moorden in Leigh parish, Kent close to its border with Penshurst parish. The first known reference, in 1240, is de Durkinghol and this probably means the hole/place of the Deorcingas (Durcingas or dark men) who lived there.

A second, Irish branch of the family, consistently spelled DARTNELL in modern times, has a separate and possibly Huguenot origin from the name D'Arnel. This possibly derives from the town or Arnelle (now Moyenneville) in Picardy. Information on Comte Jacques D’Arnel from his great grandson Edward Taylor Dartnell states that he fled France in 1660 and changed his name to Dartnell. If this is true then he was at least 77 when he had his son Edward born 1727.  Perhaps it was an earlier ancestor, or the date of leaving France is wrong. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes occurred in 1685, so this would be a more logical date for him to leave, and more likely to have been a father in 1727. About 40,000 French Protestants fled in 1685.

Edward Taylor Dartnell said that he had “Heard that the Youghal branch of the family possessed various reliques of the family brought from France, amongst which was a very beautiful inlaid casket which was exhibited at some exhibition of antiques in Cork in 1852, where my sister Dorothea saw it. Alice Dartnell, daughter of Edward Russell Dartnell, also saw it when she visited the Youghal Dartnells many years ago. Dr. Roger Dartnell was then alive, and she was also shown a handsome brocade dress which the fugitive Countess was said to have worn at the time of her flight from Normandy.” Another descendant, Penelope Mary Petrie, noted that her family said that her great great grandfather Jacques D'Arnel came with a younger brother named Jean, and a sister. Jacques married Miss Gilchrist and settled in Rathkeale, Co. Limerick.

Historical occurrences of the name to 1560

DURTNELL BUILDERS SINCE 1591

John Durtnell (1554-1610) is the earliest known principal of the famous Brasted building firm R Durtnell & Sons. The firm is a member of the exclusive Tercentennial Club, whose members have to have carried out the same sort of work by the same family on the same site, for 300 years. Durtnells are over 400 years old. The Guiness Book of Records recognizes Durtnells as the oldest builders in England.

Starting in 1591, the firm that became R. Durtnell & Sons Limited had been handed down from father to son as a private company for thirteen generations. It was claimed to be the oldest building firm in Britain. According to Dun & Bradstreet, the business information provider, at the time it ceased trading it was "the third oldest company in the UK still in operation" – there were only two older companies in any sector in Britain with a continuous existence: Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. However, conflicting claims have also been made.

From about 1570 John Durtnall had been a "carpenter" (the name for a builder at that time) and master carpenter making timber-framed Wealden houses. He teamed up with his brother Brian to build a house for their father, William who was vicar of nearby Penshurst. The house, Poundsbridge Manor in Penshurst, Kent, was completed in 1593. Thus he became a housewright, employing carpenters and other craftsmen, purchasing partnership with his two sons so giving the firm its present name. To mark their quatercentenary, Hugh Barty-King wrote a book about the history of the firm, A country builder: The story of Richard Durtnell & Sons of Brasted 1591–1991.

The business continued at its original location in Brasted, Kent, building luxury houses and doing specialist building, restoration and renovation of historic buildings over the south-east of England for customers such as local authorities, heritage organisations and churches. In 2014 the firm had a turnover of more than £50 million and more than 130 full-time staff.
In July 2019 the company ceased trading whilst working on a renovation project for the Brighton Corn Exchange.
In August 2019, creditors agreed to give the company more time to pay its debts under a debt repayment plan known as a company voluntary agreement [Wikipedia]

Name frequency

In the 1881 census for the United Kingdom there were 744 D*TN*L comprising DARTNELL plus 20 modern variants.

From 1837 until 1911 there were 1,719 D*TN*L births in England & Wales concentrated in Kent, London and Surrey, and only 76 DARKNELLs of which over half were in the Wiltshire/Somerset border area.

Distribution of the name

The 1881 Census shows a preponderance of the DARTNELLs in Kent, Surrey and Middlesex.

Data

The DARTNELL Archives contains all English & Welsh civil registration BMD 1837-1997 and census 1841-1911 together with a large collection of parish register and miscellaneous entries from England. Probate 1858-1997 is detailed as well as most PCC 1383-1858, Death Duty Registers 1796-1903, and county collections. Scottish, Irish and British Overseas civil registration indexes are covered. FindMyPast, Deceased On Line, SoG, FamilySearch and Ancestry collections are monitored.

The DARTNELL study is now ready for another researcher to take over.

Links

 Contact details

dartnell@one-name.org