Name Spelling Variations

 

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There are a large number of spelling variations for the Brickell name and these variations seem to have a geographic pattern:

In the Shaftesbury, Dorset area the two most common variations are Brickle and Brickell, and for some early evidence within some family lines these become interchangeable (even for the same person). The Brickell variant however becomes more dominant over time.

Note by AntB: Yes ... but my impression from signatures on wills and other documents right back to the 1600s (e.g. the inventory of Richard BRICKELL 1660) is that our Shaftesbury Brickells almost invariably signed "Brickell" - whereas parish clerks and others tended to write what they heard - and so often wrote "Brickle". The only major exceptions to this seem to be those two 18th century brothers the Revd. Mr Thomas BRICKLE and Mr Jno BRICKLE (mayor of Shaftesbury) who always signed themselves "Brickle" - perhaps they thought it was more "posh"

In the Northenden, Cheshire area however there are more variations with Brickill, Brickhill, Brekel, Brekell, Breckell as well as Brickell occuring; the Brickell variant again becomes more dominant over time.

Another common variant is Bricknell, but so far as can be ascertained so far this is a distinct 'clan' that seems to be concentrated in the Hampshire and Oxford area.

An interesting phenomenon however is the frequency at which a maternal surname is adopted as a middle Christian name (identically for either a boy or girl), thus creating a series of sub-clans in which the practice persists for many generations. This is of particular interest to myself (Geoff Brickell) since the name Stacey had been used as a middle name within my family for many generations and until we found the marriage between Edward Brickell and Harriet Stacey on 25th February 1808 we didn't know why !

Some of the sub-clans identified so far from the Shaftesbury area are:

• Stacey-Brickell
• Goulden-Brickell
• Bennet-Brickell
• Hussey-Brickell

 
If you have any information on other variants or indeed have any of these names as one of your middle names please make contact with the Group so that we can further the research in this interesting area.

 
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