Distribution of the name in the 19th and 20th centuries
By the mid 18th century the surname Withell or Withiel was mainly centred around Cornwall. Withall had become the more usual spelling in the Southern Counties and the Yorkshire dynasty was about to emerge.
The census returns for UK between 1841 and 1901 reflect a major shift in the distribution of the surname, particularly with regard to Cornwall. During these years the Cornish migration was much more complex, with families moving to Wales Devon, London and even Scotland, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Although during this time one Yorkshire family had moved to Canada and several families had settled in New Zealand, the numbers in Yorkshire appear to have been reasonably stable.
Allowing for some misspelling of entries for known family members from both Cornwall and Yorkshire, the 1881 census recorded 141 occurrences with the variants WITHELL. WITHEL, WITHILL and WITHIEL. Cornwall had 16, Devon 14, Durham 8, Essex 5, Hampshire 1, Middlesex 7, Norfolk 2, Surrey 4, Yorkshire 54, Glamorgan 27 and Scotland 2, with 1 in the Navy. We have also positively identified family members who had been listed as Withill, Withall and Withett.
There have been later waves of migration particularly after WW II when several families of Withells of Cornish descent moved to Australia.
The 2002 Electoral Roll for UK listed 97 persons with the surname Withell, but no Withells currently resident in Cornwall. There were 53 Withells of voting age in Australia in 2000. I don't have current Electoral roll listings for Canada and New Zealand.
It seems likely that the surname WITHILL in Yorkshire may have connections with Withell in the 19th century but further research is needed.
The availability of US Census returns online in digital form has revealed that there were a few Withells born in America in the early 19th century. One family originally came from Germany but it has not been possible to research these names further. However several Withells have been found in US immigration files.