Well Andrea and all, I can't add my name to your list because this is just all hearsay. But I am interested in the list for a few reasons. I am "doing me family tree" and my mother's maiden name was POVALL which I have so far traced back to 1800 in Cheshire. My grandfather (her dad) always maintained the name was French and I have so far not found it in any English Surname books. I have been corresponding with another lady on the Internet with the same surname interest and she maintains her mother says the name is Belgian and "they were silk-weavers" (or was it cloth-weavers?). At any rate I am just interested to know if anybody on this list has heard of this surname or come across it in their research. As you can see I probably have no "right" to be on this list, but just thought if I lurked for a while I might see some mention of the name. Any help on the origins of the surname POVALL gratefully received, though of course I do know that the answer is to check back myself through primary records, but of course we could all do with a bit of help in this obsession of ours!! Kind Regards Barbara in hot Sydney via rainy Liverpool, England