This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon and Welsh origin, and is a locational name from "Pendle (Hill)" in Lancashire. The placename is recorded as "Pennul" in the 1258 "Inquisitiones post mortem", and derives from the Welsh "pen", top, hill, with the Olde English pre 7th Century "hyll" a hill; hence "hill top". During the Middle Ages when migration for the purpose of job seeking was becoming more common, people often took their former village name as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. The surname has many variant spellings ranging from Pendell, Pendel and Pendle to Pindal and Pindell. Recordings of the surname from English Church Registers include; John Pendall who married Alicea Hunt on September 4th 1595 at Cantley, Norfolk; Robert, son of William and Sara Pendall, who was christened on January 1st 1634 at Holy Trinity in the Minories, London; and Sarah Pendall who married William Wild on August 6th 1666 at St. Mary the Virgin's, Aldermanbury, London. The Coat of Arms most associated with the family is a black shield with a silver lion rampant. In Heraldry black denotes Constancy, silver signifies Peace and Sincerity, and the lion is the emblem of Strength, Courage and Generosity. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Pindell, which was dated 1556, witness at a christening in St. Matthew's, Friday Street, London, during the reign of Queen Mary, known as "Bloody Mary", 1553 - 1558. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.