Contents [hide]

Blakeley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Blakeley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Blakeley dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon Blæcleah which meant "dark wood" or "dark clearing". The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book and little growth of the community was seen until the 19th century. By the middle of the 17th century Blackley was a village of just 107 inhabitants. Today Blackley is a suburb of Manchester with a population of over 10,000 people. There is also a hamlet named Blackey in West Yorkshire.

The Blackledge variant is interesting. It was derived from Black-lake, which evolved into Blackleach. "Probably the spot mentioned in a charter c. 1200 connected with property in Wilmslow parish, East Cheshire, from which district the name in most cases is undoubtedly sprung. " 1

Early Origins of the Blakeley family

The surname Blakeley was first found in Lancashire at Blackley, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Manchester, hundred of Salford. 2 The first record of this chapelry was in 1282 when it was known as Blakeley and literally meant "dark wood or clearing," for the Old English "blaec" + "leah." 3

Today Blakesley Hall is a Tudor hall on Blakesley Road in Yardley, Birmingham, England. Originally a timber-framed farmhouse, it was built in 1590.

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. Adam de Blakeneye, alias Adam de Blakeleye, London was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. In Cheshire, the Wills at Chester included: Jane Blakeley, of Bury, widow; and Ralph Blakeley, of Bury. 1 John Blakelache was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332. 4

Much further to the north in Scotland, the first record was of Radulphus Blackley who was juror on inquest at Berwick, 1321. 5

Early History of the Blakeley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blakeley research. Another 197 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1321, 1473, 1587, 1601, 1615, 1662 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Blakeley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakeley Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Blakeley include Blackley, Blakely, Blakley, Blacklee, Blackely, Blackledge, Blacklege, Blatchly and many more.

Early Notables of the Blakeley family

More information is included under the topic Early Blakeley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakeley Ranking

In the United States, the name Blakeley is the 12,680^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Blakeley family to Ireland

Some of the Blakeley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blakeley migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Blakeley or a variant listed above:

Blakeley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Blakeley, who landed in Maryland in 1664 7

Blakeley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W G Blakeley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7

Blakeley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Blakeley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Chambers Blakeley, "Blakely" U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8
Mr. James Blakeley U.E. who settled in Prince Edward County, Ontario c. 1783 8
Mrs. Margaret Blakeley U.E. (née Flynn) who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 8

Blakeley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John, Blakeley Jr., who arrived in Canada in 1833

Blakeley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Blakeley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Blakeley, English convict who was convicted in Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Emma Blakeley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 10
Sarah Ann Blakeley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 10
Mr. John Blakeley, (b. 1815), aged 25, Irish quarry man who was convicted in Armagh, Ireland for life for murder, transported aboard the "British Sovereign" on 16th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Ziliah Blakeley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Forfarshire" in 1848 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Blakeley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Blakeley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Blakeley, (b. 1838), aged 23, Irish labourer, from Antrim travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 13
Mrs. Catherine Blakeley, (b. 1841), aged 20, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 13
Mr. William Blakeley, (b. 1860), aged 1, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 13
Mr. William John Blakeley, (b. 1819), aged 44, Irish labourer, from County Down travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st May 1863 13
Mrs. Mary Blakeley, (b. 1820), aged 43, Irish settler, from County Down travelling from London aboard the ship "Sebastopol" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st May 1863 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Blakeley (post 1700) +

Robert Wilson Blakeley (1922-2017), American graphic designer, best known for making the fallout shelter sign
Eric Blakeley (b. 1965), American mountaineer, adventurer, and television journalist
Billie Buie Blakeley (1934-2010), American basketball coach
Major-General Harold Whittle Blakeley (1893-1966), American Commanding Officer, 4th Division, North-West Europe (1944-1946) 14
Paul Malcolm Blakeley (b. 1964), former English cricketer
Steve Blakeley, English former professional rugby league footballer
Richard Lee Blakeley (1971-2017), British opera and theatre director
Lee Blakeley (b. 1971), British Opera and Theatre director
Peter Blakeley, Australian Adult Contemporary singer and songwriter
Steven Blakeley (b. 1982), British actor
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIR CHARLES FORBES (originally Charles Forbes) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839SirCharlesForbes.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/british-sovereign
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FORFARSHIRE 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Forfarshire.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Harold Blakeley. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Blakeley/Harold_Whittle/USA.html