Recorded as Langdale, with variations such as Landale, Landle, Landal, Landell, and plural forms including Landles, Landells, and others, this is an ancient and noble English surname being associated with Baron's Langdale, the last of whom died in 1777. There are seven places called Langdale in Northern England, and it may well be that all have provided surnames, although Langdale in Northumbria and Langdale in North Yorkshire, would seem to have been the epic-centres of the name. The earliest coat of arms is probably that of the Langdales of Langdale, near Scarborough in North Yorkshire. This has the blazon of a black field charged with a chevron between three estoiles, all silver. The origin of the name is both Olde English and Norse, being originally 'Langa-dael,' or the long valley. The first known place name recording being 'Langedenlitle' in the pipe rolls of Yorkshire 1160. Examples of the early recordings include Henry de Langdale in the subsidy rolls of Cumberland for 1332 and John Langdale of Yorkshire in 1402. Other examples showing the surname development include Alice Landall at St Botolphs Bishopgate, city of London on March 31st 1650, and William Landells at St Martins in the Field, Westminster, on July 6th 1801. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert de Langdale. This was dated 1293, in the rolls known as the Placita de Warranto, during the reign of King Edward 1st, 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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