Calveley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Calveley is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Calveley family lived in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat on lands in the lordship of Calverley.

Early Origins of the Calveley family

The surname Calveley was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Calverley, a parish, in the union of Bradford, wapentake of Morley. [1]

Today Calverley is a village in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire but the place name actually dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Caverleia [2] and literally meant " clearing where calves are pastured," from the Old English words "calf" + "leah." [3]

Nearby is Calverley Old Hall, a medieval manor house which is believed to have been built (1485-1495) by the Calverleys. Today the property is held by the Landmark Trust. Baron Calverley is a recent barony created in 1945 for George Muff, the Labour politician. Calverleigh is a village, parish and former manor in Devon that also dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Calodelie and later as Calewudelega in 1194. [3] However, this later village was held by the Nagle family for many years.

Of note, was Sir Hugh Calveley (d. 1393), a distinguished soldier, "the son of David de Calvelegh, and his first wife Joan, of Lea in Cheshire, and was the brother, it is thought, of Sir Robert Knolles. Calveley was one of the soldiers of fortune engaged in the war of succession between the partisans of the widow of Jean de Montfort and the wife of Charles de Blois, which lasted with varying fortune from 1341 to 1364. He was buried in the chancel of his college, and his effigy in complete armour may still be seen on one of the finest altar-tombs in his native county. It is engraved in Lysons and in Ormerod. A tablet is suspended against the north wall, opposite to the monument of Calveley, recording a bequest by Dame Mary Calveley of 100l., the interest to be given to poor people frequenting the church on the condition of their cleaning the monument and chancel." [4]

Early History of the Calveley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calveley research. Another 203 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1136, 1394, 1605, 1607, 1608, 1658, 1670, 1700 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Calveley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calveley Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Calverley, Calveley, Calverlie, Calverly and others.

Early Notables of the Calveley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Hugh Calveley (died 1394), an English knight and commander, who took part in the Hundred Years' War; his effigy lies at St Boniface's Church, Bunbury, Cheshire; Sir Walter Calverley (1670-1749), 1...

Migration of the Calveley family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, travelling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Calveley or a variant listed above: Henry Calverley who settled in Philadelphia with his two brothers, Thomas and William, in 1848; but George Calverlie had settled in Bermuda in 1635.

Contemporary Notables of the name Calveley (post 1700) +

Grange Calveley (1943-2021), British writer and artist who was best known as the creator of the BBC's animated television series Roobarb (1974) and Noah and Nelly in... SkylArk (1977)
Brigadier Charles Calveley Foss VC, CB, DSO (1885-1953), English recipient of the Victoria Cross, son of Hugh James Foss

The Calveley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ex caligine veritas
Motto Translation: Truth out of darkness.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print