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Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Origin of the Name Gemmill (Gammell)

The Scottish surname Gemmill is of Anglo-Saxon or Danish origin. The bearers of the name probably settled in Great Britain between the sixth and eighth century, when the Anglo-Saxons, and later the Danes, made frequent descents on Britain. The name Gemmill is believed to have come from the Anglo-Saxon word gamel or gamol, Danish gammel, and Norse gamal, all meaning old or ancient [i.e. gammal ‘the old one.’]

Another researcher goes further back in time to reveal that the third letter of the Greek alphabet is gamma and that of the Hebrew is gimel, both of which mean camel; an observation that leads that researcher to conclude that the names of Gemmill and Campbell share the same origin.

After the Norman Conquest (1066 A.D.), large numbers of the Anglo-Saxon freeholders in England were driven from their possessions, and many of them took refuge in Scotland, particularly in the southwest. It is uncertain when or where the Gamels or Gemmills first settled in Scotland, but circumstances point to a very early, if not the first, permanent settlement of Gemmills located in that upland portion of Ayrshire known as Fenwick. Soon after 1570 there are in the old Fenwick registers at least 23 properties held by different families with the name of Gemmill.(1) The progenitor of the Fenwick Gemmills probably first settled on the lands of Raith no later than 1100 or 1200. Most likely, the first of the Raith or Fenwick Gemmills was from one of the Anglo-Saxon Gamal families in the north of England.(2)


Fenwick Parish Church
built in 1643
taken December 2010 by Isabel Wilson of Glasgow

Here at Fenwick James Gammell’s great grandfather John Gemmell married Elizabeth Burns (April 25, 1745.) Their three sons, James, John, and Thomas, were all christened there. Many of the family members, including James’ grandparents, Thomas Gemmell and Alison Wallace, are buried in the Fenwick kirkyard. In this same kirkyard at Fenwick is the grave of a Peter Gemmell, who died as a martyr in the struggles of the Scottish Presbyterians. His gravestone bears this inscription:

Here lies the corps of Peter Gemmell,
Who was shot to death by Nisbet
and his party, 1685, for bearing his
faithful Testimony to the Cause of
Christ. Aged 21 years.


This man like holy anchorite of old,
For conscience sake was thrust from house and hold;
Bloodthirsty red-coats cut his prayers short,
And even his dying groans were made their sport.
Ah, Scotland! Breach of solemn vows repent,
Or blood thy crime will be thy punishment!(3)


Gravestone of Peter Gemmell (died 1685)
Fenwick Churchyard
Photo taken December 2010 by
Isabel Wilson of Glasgow (see her comment below.)

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  1. "It is interesting to note the various spellings, and how Gamal and Gamel gradually changed to Gamyll, afterwards to Gemyl, and, later on, mainly to Gemmill, though some still use the forms Gammell and Gamble. Gemmell has also come to be frequently used, but Gemmill is the older form, and is the prevailing spelling in the Registers after 1570.” (John Leiper Gemmill, p. 22.)
  2. John Leiper Gemmill, Notes on the Probable Origin of the Name Gemmill or Gemmell, Glasgow, 1909, pp.13, 15, 16.
  3. John Leiper Gemmill, p. 34.

29 comments:

  1. I am a descendant of the Templehouse Gemmills (Gemmell) of Dunlop. Would be interested in how these families are related. I am sure that somehow they are. I can follow my line back to 1474 to Johnne Gemmill, heir to Templehouse, which included properties of Holehouse, Netherhill, Thorn and several others.

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    Replies
    1. My grandmother was born Mary Gemmell

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  2. As you will see on the Pedigree chart (on post: The Gemmill Covenanters) our particular Gammell/Gemmell line has only been traced, as yet, to the early 1700's in Fenwick. I believe that Dunlop is just a few miles from Fenwick, so there is a strong possibility that our lines have a common progenitor. I would be pleased to hear if you find a connection. Thanks for your comment.

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  3. E-mail message from Isabel:

    Hello Elizabeth

    I have just recently found your sight and am still wondering if your James Gemmell is in anyway related to our family! Thanks for your hard work! Your blog looks really interesting! I have been researching my father-in-law's side of the family tree and find that John Leiper Gemmell is his first cousin twice removed. I see you quote from his book of 1909 quite often. I hope you don't mind me asking do you have you a copy of that book, and would you know where I would be able to get a copy?

    We live about 15 mins away from Fenwick, so now that I've found out such a lot over the last week, I'm looking forward to getting up to the graveyard and checking out a few headstones myself ha ha. If I can check out any for you let me know!

    Kind regards
    Isabel Wilson

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  4. I do believe that James Gemmill is in my family line. My mother's maiden name is Gemmill. Her father's name was Leslie Weir Gemmill.

    Kim (Meyer) Wilson

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  5. I am a descendant of the Templehouse Gemmells. I have found a lot of information on this line in the online book at archive.org-"The Probable Origins of the Surname Gemmell in Scotland" published in Ottawa in 1898 by John Alexander Gemmell. There are some gaps but it is a comprehensive, detailed piece of work.
    Sheena, Ayr, Scotland, 7x gt granddaughter of Patrick Gemmell, born early 1600s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sheena
      I'm also interested in the Templehouse Gemmells.
      Please get in touch. cliveharry93@gmail.com

      Delete
  6. To sheenayr: I do have a copy of John Alexander Gemmell's 1898 book. I can only trace my Gemmell line to Fenwick in the early 1700's. I have tried to go further back, but it is very confusing -- so many common first names are repeated. Hopefully someday I can make the connection. Thank you for your comment. Elizabeth.

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  7. very interesting to read into my family line. i am a fenwick gemmill on my fathers side but do not know much about my history. most informative ive read online so far.

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  8. Greetings Liz,
    I've much enjoyed your research. I'm the Brisbane, Australia, feed to the blog. I was amazed to find that a Canadian became a convict in Tasmania.
    My Great Grandfather James was also a Fenwick Gemmill, (now Gemmell in Australia), from Gainford farm, who emigrated in 1858. Although my records go back to about 1650, unfortunately I can't match any of your forebears with mine.
    Cheers. Don

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  9. I'm William Gemmill from York County, Pennsylvania and our branch arrived here from Kilmarnock in 1745. We have pretty extensive history of my Gemmill family branch. There is a book on Amazon chronicling a portion of our family "
    A genealogy of six generations of Gemmills in America, with notes on their Scottish ancestry" Paperback – March 12, 2014 by William Nelson Gemmill (Author) jandb90@msn.com

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    Replies
    1. I amm William gemmill from vancouver b.c. family arrived here late 1800s have traced our line back to 1100s

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    2. I am really interested in your early Gemmill research.
      Please get in touch. cliveharry93@gmail.com

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    3. I'm new to this and have done no research but I noticed you are from Pennsylvania. My father's family is from there. His name was George Nelson Gemmill. I did not know him or that side of the family because my parents divorced while I was young. Do you have any idea if we might be related? We are planning a trip to Scotland next year so I'm going to try and find some history. Thank you

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    4. mariedawnpeterson@yahoo. Com
      My grandmother was Mary Gemmell .

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  10. April 3, 2017

    Hello from a GEMMELL descendant in Vancouver, BC, Canada

    My 5x grandparents came from Ayrshire. Names Thomas Gemmell & Bessie Hog. 4x grandparents: Alexander Gemmell and Marion White. 3x grandparents: John Gemmell and Margaret Howatson.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there,if your Bessie and Thomas are from the 1600s then you and I are related.

      Delete
  11. 2x grandparents were John Gemmell and Helen E. Symington. Still tying to link all the generations together. The Gemmells emigrated to Canada in the 1840s (I think). My grandmother was Grace Gemmell who married married Frederick Jones. They lived in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Any additional information on the Gemmell, Gemmell, Gimmell histories is greatly appreciated. Since the name seems to have been spelled different ways over time I am following all leads. Thank you. The family tree in on Ancestry.ca under: LOMAS Family Tree. (Jones, Gemmell, Karman, Diachun, Herrington, Wilkinson) Family Tree

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    Replies
    1. sheila gammel clarkeJuly 15, 2023 at 1:34 PM

      Unknown, I am also a Gammel from Moose Jaw, Sask, my Gammel / Gamel come to canada from russia( Bangert area )in the 1890's , they were in Germany before Russia , Caspar Gammel was the 1st direct ancestor from germany to russia , bef 1767 , and is listed in the Census
      1767 • Volga Regoin Of Russia.
      i can go as far back as the 1600 in Baden-Württemberg, Germany area, after that i hit a dead end
      My dad always told me the our Gammel's came from Scoltand and that his aunt Lydia Gammel who did our family tree could proved it, but after she passed away all her work went missing , ,
      the Gemmill's from Templehouse, i have connected to my family ,but threw Margaret Montgomerie who married Patric Gemmill (b. 1590 d. 1662) who owned Templehouse in 1620

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    2. Hi Shiela It would be great to make contact and have a proper discussion re Templehouse.
      Best C

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  12. I have been tracing our branch of the Gambles in the north of Ireland. It seems tat they left Ayrshire at the time of the Plantation in the early 1600's. There is a definite link to the Boyd family. I would love to know more about their history pre 1600
    I do hope someone can help.
    Thanks
    Clive

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  13. Hello Gemmils :) I am too descended from the Temple Lands, Dunlop clan. I have traced my Gemmil line to Patrick who was born in Templehouse in 1590. He married Margaret Montgomerie also of Templehouse. They had Robert in 1620. He married Janet Baird and they had a daughter Jonat Gemmil in 1650. Jonat married Mathew Richmont and the Gemmil name ended there for me.
    I am working on Patricks line. His father is John Gemmil born 1565. HIs father was Patrick born 1641. His father again was Johnne Gemmil born Dunlop 1474. Johnnes father was John born 1450 also in Templehouse, Dunlop. HIs father John was born in 1425 also in Templehouse, Dunlop

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    Replies
    1. This relates to my line of Gemmils http://digital.nls.uk/histories-of-scottish-families/archive/95619939?mode=transcription

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    2. I'm sure we are descendents of the same family. Let's make contact
      cliveharry93@gmail.com
      Best wishes

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    3. My reply concerns the Gemmell at Templehouse, Ayrshire. Hoping to contact others from the same roots.
      Clive

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    4. Dear sir or madam
      Are you still interested in the Gemmills of Templehouse? I'd love to know what you have found out. cliveharry93@gmail.com
      Hope to hear soon
      Best
      Clive

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  14. I'm glad to have found this. I am a direct descendant of James Gammell living in MT and recently did a DNA test. I was shocked to find I was British, Irish, Scandinavian and ZERO Scottish. Made me sad, really and it didn't make sense since the Gammell surname have been in Scotland for some time.I guess they stuck to marriages with the British or something? Anyways I did 3 tests with different companies to confirm. If I'm not scottish he definitely wasnt Lol

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  15. Hi. My last name is Gammell and have been looking for name derivation information since the 70's. After all of my research I have gathered that there are many different forms of the name. We have to remember that in the "old days" being educated was not common, hence the many spellings. Gammel means old in Norwegian and Danish. It is worth noting that many areas in the British Isles were settled by "Viking" raiders. In those times names were given because of a trait, occupation or relation. In conclusion, I wish we could find definitive proof, but records are sparse in the early years.

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  16. Hi All
    My name is Michael Gemmell
    I live in Brisbane,Australia
    I am from the gemmell line that went from scotland to
    New Zealand then to Australia
    Im using Ancestry
    so far I can see I am from the first line back to gemmell in 1375
    or there about's
    I have manly concentrated on the scotland side
    have been in contact with a few gemmells in
    Toronto, Canada ect
    feel free to contact me at
    Email: mikegem66@gmail.com

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