Whannell

[Kiltpin]

Whannell - Whanell - Whannel - Whanel - Wannell - and so on, and so on - with an H, without an H, 1 N or 2, 1L or 2, an O rather than an A, an I rather than an A, an A rather than an E - the permutations just go on and on.

The earliest known Whannell is Peter, who received a Grant of arms from Lord Lyon in 1778. Only record for him is in Scotland (possibly Ayrshire).

His son Peter W was an officer in the Army and served with the "Invalids" in the Channel Islands, South Coast and Dublin

He had three military officer sons, John Buchanan W (died in his 20s), George W (Colonel of the 33rd Foot) and Peter W (bit of a trend going on).

This last Peter was the Auditor General of the Madras Army in India.

He produced children, one of which was Peter Brunton W (the Cad), who married in his early 20s and produced a sting of children, one of which was Peter George Alexander Samuel W.

Peter Brunton W abandoned his wife and children in Australia and eloped with a married woman to San Fransisco, where he had more children. He made a small diversion to British Columbia, where he started McGowan's war. He ended his days back in northern India.

I am particularly interested in any information about Peter Whannell (of the Invalids) - he must have had a wife (name?), (birth and death? of both?) and what was he doing in Dublin?

Of course, if there is any information about the original Peter Whannell (1778) and his wife and their births and deaths, that would be fantastic!

Regards

Kiltpin

[Lesley Robertson]

No info about individuals, I'm afraid, but Black's Surnames of Scotland says that it derives from MacWannel. Apparently it's found in Galloway in 1683 as Whandle, Whannell and Whonnell. Interestingly he treats Whan as separate...It's in Dysart in 1678.

There's 2.5 inches on MacWhannell and 3.5 on MacWhan. Earliest mention of MacWhannell in 1473 in Perthshire in the old Scots form as M'Quhonale... There's quite a list of remarkable spelling variations - you have my sympathy!