Revell Family Study
Places
France
Some members of the Revel family can trace their ancestors back to French origin, and first appeared in ancient medieval records in Languedoc between the 11th and 12th centuries. The medieval town of Revel is built symmetrically around the central market place, the roof of which is a masterpiece of 14th century local craftsmanship, supported by a forest of wooden pillars. Surrounding the market square are fine 17th and 18th century houses with beautiful arcades at street level.
Revel is 25 minutes drive from the A61 motorway, an integral part of the French and European motorway network, and 50 minutes from the airport at Toulouse.
The following is an extract which may prove relevant at a later date:
The Revell family is thought to have originated in Dauphine, France (southeastern France). There are two towns between Lyon and Grenoble called Revel that are possible candidates. However, there is a town called Revel in southwestern France, which some claim is the source of the family, but this is undocumented. It is a rather dull furniture-producing city about half way from Toulouse to Carcassonne. According to WRR, the Revells (the e was added in the late 19th century) were French Huguenots who fled France after the fall of La Rochelle in 1628. Given the proximity of Toulouse to La Rochelle, this seems a logical candidate, but the other two towns are as well. (There is also a town near Amiens north of Paris that is named Revelles. Thus, a quick tour of Mapquest suggests that there are at least 4 candidate towns in France.) Robert Bennett Beau, The Peopling of Virginia , 1935, discusses the Huguenot colony at Mannakin town (above Richmond) and goes on to mention the Revell family (page 8) as one of that group. By 1662, Torrence i s showing Randall Revell to be a member of the Church of England. According to WRR, Randall Revell was born in 1606 (DJR and Torrence show this as 1613 and I think that they are probably correct) and fought at La Rochelle in 1628. He emigrated to Bristol in 1629 with his father and mother and married an English girl, "the beautiful Rebecca." They then emigrated to Maryland in 1636.
A Medaeval Map of Industry shows the Wine region from Carcassonne to Avignon.
With reference to Amiens mentioned in the above extract - I have found reference to: An order to allow to Godkin de Revle, merchant of Almain, out of the next customs on his wool, hides and wool-fells sent out of the realm by him from that port £172 11s, 4d. due to him from the king for a loan in the 1st year of his reign.Date: Oct 1328 . Source: Close rolls
Godfrid de Revel states that Edward II owed him 73s 10d farthing, which he lent him at Hull in the twelfth year of his reign, and for which he has letters patent of obligation sealed under the cocket. He requests that this sum be allowed to him in the next customs on wools, hides, woolfells and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the said port. Endorsement: The Treasurer, Barons and Chamberlains of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, when they have examined the letters, if they find that the debt is still due, they are to let him have payment, assignment or allowance as he requests, as soon as they reasonably can; receiving etc. and charging etc. Source:Calendar of Close Rolls, Edw III, vol. II, 1330-1333
Ludebritte de Revel states that Edward II owed him £14 14s 3d, which he lent him at Boston in the eleventh year of his reign, and for which he has letters patent of obligation sealed under the cocket. He requests that this sum be allowed to him in the next customs on wools, hides, woolfells and other merchandise to be sent by him out of the said port. Endorsement: The Treasurer, Barons and Chamberlains of the Exchequer are to be ordered that, when they have examined the letters, if they find that the debt is still due, they are to let him have payment, assignment or allowance as he requests, as soon as they reasonably can; receiving etc. and charging etc. Source:Calendar of Close Rolls, Edw III, vol. II, 1330-1333
Grande Distillerie de Revel
Note:Godkin mentioned in Hunter's pedigree.
Chateau de Ravel
The Castle of Revel, in Puy-de-Dome, France was begun by Bernard de Revel, in 1171.
Estonia
The city of Tallinn, formerly known as Reval is the capital and principal seaport of the Republic of Estonia.Tallinn, lies in the northeast corner of the Baltic Sea region, in Northern Europe. Estonia shares land borders with Latvia and Russia, and lies across the Baltic Sea from Finland and Sweden.
Tallinn Before Written Sources It is not easy to determine the beginning of Tallinn history. The location probably attracted attention as a suitable port area long before first written sources mention a settlement there, but all historians have is archaeological data. The first traces of settlement in the territory of today’s Tallinn come from the Härjapea river basin at Keldrimäe but those cannot be directly linked to the city. The early history of Tallinn begins from suburban Iru, where a castle together with a nearby settlement was built in the end of the first millennium. The castle was abandoned for unknown reasons in the end of the 11th century and Lindanise (Kolyvan in Russian sources) castle was built some time later on the today’s Toompea hill—this was basically the centre of the ancient Rävala county (hence the German name for Tallinn: Reval). The castle was most probably only to offer refuge in case of enemy attacks and included no permanent settlement in the 13th century. The trade route in the Gulf of Finland became more widely used during the 9th and 10th century and thereby increased the importance of the Tallinn port site. There might have been seasonal settlements of Scandinavian and Russian merchants at the location of today’s lower town in the beginning of the 2nd millennium but there is no clear evidence neit
Other sources state:
- After having founded their city and fortress, the Danes started to call it "Reval" because of the surrounding ancient province of Rävala. The name "Reval" was then taken over by the Germans and the Swedes and most of the world. The Russians changed it to "Revel", probably being easier to pronounce. About the Poles I have no idea; maybe they used "Revel", too. The Estonians have called the place "Tallinn" right from the beginning. The name is derived from the words "Taani linn" which means castle/town of the Danes. Sometimes you can even see the form "Tallin" - used by Russians at least during the Soviet occupation - and "Tallinna" which is the modern Finnish form (previously "Rääveli" was used in Finnish) and the form used by Estonians in the interwar period. Nowadays (since 1918/1945) in foreign languages, even German and Danish, the historical name "Reval" is rarely used and "Tallinn" is the most common form.
- Tallinn is the Estonian name. It means "the town of the Danes", since the town was founded when Estonia belonged to Denmark for a time in the Middle Ages. Reval is the German name, used by the Teutonic Order when they ruled Estonia, and also used by the German speaking population in Estonia which left the country in the 1930s and 1940s. I think the Danes used a similar name. When Estonia belonged to Sweden, the name Reval was used, but there were also some Swedish forms, like Räffle.
- Russian name was "Revel'". Source: Geography of the USSR, by Theodore Shabad, 1954
- The name "Reval" with its derivations like the Russian "Revel" was widely used before the first Estonian independence ~1219-1918 when the country was under Danish / German / Swedish / Russian domination. When Estonia gained independence, the Estonian form "Tallinn" or "Tallinna" became the official one and was gradually taken over to foreign languages as well. In Russian one "N" was dropped and the name became "Tallin".
- The city of Tallinn is the capital and principal seaport of the Republic of Estonia. It is located on Estonia's north coast, along the Baltic Sea. Before 1918, it was primarily known in English by its German name Reval. Other historical names are Koluvan, Lindanise, Lindanisa (Lindanäs), Revalia, Revel and Reveln. The origin of the name is unclear. It may have been derived from "talu linn", Estonian for "farming town". Alternately, it may have been derived from "Taani-linn", Estonian for "Danish town". Historically, the city has been attacked, sacked, razed and pillaged on numerous occasions. It was the centre of the medieval salt-trade on which it grew rich and prosperous.