Show ContentsCalway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Calway family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in a small settlement in either Devon or Cornwall. Thus, Calway is a habitation surname derived from the place, named Callway or Calway. 1

Alternatively, the name Calway is a habitational name originally derived from the place name Caillouet-Orgeville in Eure, France. This place name comes from the Old Northern French word "cail(ou)," meaning "a pebble." 2 3

Early Origins of the Calway family

The surname Calway was first found in Gloucestershire where Philip de Chailewai was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1165. A few years later, Thomas de Kaillewey was found in Warwickshire in 1242 and in the same year William Callewey was in Devon. 3

Kellaways, also known as Tytherton Kellaways, is a village and former ecclesiastical parish in Langley Burrell and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Walter Calewey as holding lands in Buckinghamshire at that time. 1 The source, Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. list William Callewey in Devon and Cassadra Cayllewey, Wiltshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of the reign of King Edward I.) 4

Early History of the Calway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calway research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1497, 1543, 1547, 1549, 1552, 1557, 1558, 1559, 1564, 1580 and 1581 are included under the topic Early Calway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calway 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 Calway include Callaway, Kelloway, Kellaway, Calloway and others.

Early Notables of the Calway family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Robert Keilway, Kellway or Kaylway (1497-1581), legal reporter, "was in 1543 the recipient of a grant of the wardship and marriage of Eliz. and Anne Whittocksmede (Pat. Roll, 35 Henry VIII, p. 2), and subsequently of many other minors, a privilege from which he no doubt reaped considerable profit. In 1547 he was autumn reader at the Inner Temple, and in May of that year surveyor of the court of wards and liveries. In September 1547 he, with Lord St. John, was appointed to inquire into the state of the crown revenues, and...
Another 161 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Calway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Calway migration to Australia +

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

Calway Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Calway, (b. 1816), aged 26, English convict who was convicted in Taunton, Somerset, England for 10 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray


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