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Hostages
At one
time Ireland was ruled by a High King and the country was divided into 7
provinces, each with it’s own king. For many centuries and in most cultures, the eldest son and heir
was highly regarded and much respected in a family. At the time of
Oirghialla
(sometimes spelt Airgialla),
the High King of Ireland took the eldest son from the king of each province as a
hostage. This was the best guarantee of good behavior he could obtain from the
kings of the provinces. Exactly why one province became known as
Oirghialla,
the Province of the Eastern Hostage, may be due to the belief that this province
supplied 3 hostages to the High King but nothing else. However, in later years,
there were 9 provinces. The High King most famous for the practice was called
Niall of the Nine Hostages.
(Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niall_of_the_Nine_Hostages)
The Spelling of Urell Does Vary
The
name is definitely Irish and the spelling varies quite a lot. I originally
thought that a different spelling signified a different family. But up to the
last century, literacy was not commonplace and names were often misspelled.
Local officials administrated during census taking and usually completed all the
paperwork after questioning the head of the family. I have seen a census form of
a family member from the 1800s where the family details are all completed in the
name Yourell (presumably by a local official) and the signature of the head of
the household is Urell.
A similar mistake on say, a Birth Certificate, would result in a person having
to use the misspelled version on all future official documents. Entry to the US
often resulted in a change of spelling, where an official might write down the
name phonetically. The result was that the name would have to be used in that
way ever after.
It is quite possible that at that time, two brothers could spell their surname
in different ways.
The
gaelic spelling handed down in my family is “de Oirghiall”, which is only slightly
corrupted from de Oirghialla.
For
much more detail on the origin of the province, click on
Oirghialla.
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