Recorded as Sample, Samples, Sempill, Simble, Sambell, and Simpole, this is an English surname, but of Norman-French origins. Introduced into England by followers of William, The Conqueror, after the famous invasion of 1066, it is locational and derives from any one of the various places in Normandy called Saint-Paul, or Saint-Pol. The places were named from the dedication of their churches to Saint Paul, the zealous and energetic missionary to the gentiles in the Roman Empire, who played a large part in establishing Christianity as a major world religion. The development of the surname has included the early latinized form of Robertus de Sancto Paulo in the Bedfordshire Pipe Rolls of 1159, John Sampol of Yorkshire in 1351, and Cicily Sampule also of Yorshire in 1413, whilst the marriage of Christopher Sample and Mary Hopkins was recorded at St. Gabriel's, Fenchurch Street, in the city of London, on November 5th, 1616. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Symon Sempol. This was dated 1271, in the court rolls of Ramsey Abbey, Cambridgeshire, during the reign of King Henry 111rd of England, 1216 - 1272. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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