Show ContentsDelley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Delley is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived beside the water. The surname Delley originally derived from the Old English word dell which referred to someone who inhabited an area close to a body of water or glade. [1]

Another source has a slightly different interpretation; having derived from the Saxon dialect "a dweller by the water," or "dell" a glade. [2]

"The medieval form was At Dale, softened afterwards to A'Dale, as often found in parish registers of the XVI. cent., and widely renowned through the ballad of Robin Hood and Allin a'Dale." [3]

Early Origins of the Delley family

The surname Delley was first found in Suffolk where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Ralph de la Dale and Thomas de la Dale as holding lands there at that time. [4]

William and Robert atte Delle were listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. [5]

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls listed Thomas del Dale; Robertus del Dale; Willelmus at Dale; and Johannes at Dale. [4]

Up in Scotland, the first record there was Johannes de Dale who was charter witness at Yester, 1374, and later, Syme of Daile and Jok of Dail of the Newtoun were both listed in Ayrshire in 1470. [6]

Early History of the Delley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Delley research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1607, 1649, 1657, 1658, 1660, 1665 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Delley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Delley Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Delley family name include Dell, Delle, Dells and others.

Early Notables of the Delley family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Dell (c. 1607-1669), an English clergyman from Bedfordshire, Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge from 1649 to 1660, and prominent radical Parliamentarian.Jonas Dell (d. 1665), was an English Quaker, who died at Stepney...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Delley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Delley migration to Australia +

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

Delley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Delley, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]
  • Samuel Launder Delley, aged 32, a sawyer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. 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)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan


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