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Show ContentsMorley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Early Origins of the Morley family

The surname Morley was first found in Yorkshire. This ancient Norman family assumed their surname from the town and lordship of Maule, in the Vexin Francois, eight leagues from Paris. Guarin de Maule, the young son of Ansold, Lord of Maule accompanied William the Conqueror to England and acquired the Lordship of Hatton, county York for his efforts. 1

His son, Robert de Maule aligned himself with David, Earl of Huntingdon, later known as David II., and moved to Scotland with the monarch and there obtained vast lands in Lothian where his family held a family seat. 2

"William, son of Robert, took part in the battle of the Standard, 1138, an obtained the lands of Easter Fowlis in Perthshire. He witnessed c. 1141 confirmation of a charter by Earl Henry to the church of S. Mary of Haddington of the lands of Clerchetune, now Clerkington. He also had grants of tofts in Selkirk and Clackmannan from Malcolm IV. By the marriage of Peter de Maule with Christina de Valoniis before 1215 he acquired the large baronies of Panmure ard Bervie. Sir William de Maul swore fealty to Edward I at St. Andrews, 1291." 3

Early History of the Morley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morley research. Another 418 words (30 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1361, 1407, 1411, 1437, 1600, 1646, 1715, 1723, 1743, 1756 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Morley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Maule, Maull, Maul and others.

Early Notables of the Morley family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morley World Ranking

In the United States, the name Morley is the 3,082nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Morley is ranked the 614th most popular surname with an estimated 6,377 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Morley is the 851st popular surname with an estimated 860 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Morley as 359th with 17,419 people. 7

United States Morley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Katherine Morley, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
  • Mr. Ralph Morley who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 8
  • Henry Morley, aged 25, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas & John" 9
  • Symon Morley, who landed in Virginia in 1636 9
  • Walter Morley, who landed in Maryland in 1638 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Morley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Morley, a convict sent to America in 1749
  • Ann Morley, who settled in America in 1766
  • Isabella Morley, who settled with her husband in Boston in 1767
Morley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Luke Morley, who landed in New York in 1831 9
  • George Morley, aged 29, who arrived in Alabama in 1855 9
  • Frederick, John, Michael, Thomas, and William Morley, who all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
  • Valentine Morley, who arrived in Mississippi in 1860 9
  • Mr. John C. Morley, aged 18, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Morley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Frederick Charles Morley, (b. 1876), aged 24, Cornish miner, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Oceanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 14th February 1900 en route to Lake Intervale, New Jersey, USA 10
  • Mrs. Mary J. Morley, (b. 1875), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 11th February 1900 en route to Hancock, Michigan, USA 10
  • Mr. Francis E. Morley, (b. 1880), aged 23, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 26th April 1903 en route to Michigan, USA 10
  • Mr. James Henry Morley, (b. 1878), aged 26, Cornish miner, from Chacewater, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 31st January 1904 en route to Michigan, USA 10

Canada Morley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Anthony Morley, aged 27 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Ganges" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 11
  • Mr. John Morley, aged 18 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Clarendon" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 11

Australia Morley migration to Australia +

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

Morley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Martha Morley, British Convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
  • Mr. Jasper Morley, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • Mr. James Morley, British Convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
  • Mr. James Morley, English labourer who was convicted in (Lindsey), Lincolnshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
  • Thomas Morley, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 16
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Morley 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:

Morley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • George Morley, aged 21, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • Eliza Morley, aged 18, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • Mr. W. Morley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 17
  • Mrs. Morley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 17
  • Mr. James Morley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Egmont" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1858 17
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Morley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18
Morley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. William Morley, (b. 1611), aged 24, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 19

Contemporary Notables of the name Morley (post 1700) +

  • Kay Morley (1920-2020), American actress who worked in Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s
  • Michael Darwin Morley (1930-2020), American mathematician, professor emeritus at Cornell University, known for Morley's categoricity theorem
  • Malcolm Morley (1931-2018), British-American photorealist artist and painter
  • Richard E. "Dick" Morley (1932-2017), American electrical engineer, considered the "father" of the programmable logic controller
  • Thomas R. Morley (1930-2016), American candy executive, President and Chairman of Morley Candy Company
  • Sylvanus Morley (1883-1948), American archaeologist, epigrapher and Mayanist scholar
  • Felix Morley (1894-1982), American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
  • Edward Williams Morley (1838-1923), American chemist
  • Christopher Darlington Morley (1890-1958), American journalist, novelist, and poet
  • Mr. Benjamin Morley, British sheriff, who held the position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1837 to 1838
  • ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Halifax Explosion
  • Master Earl  Morley (1912-1917), Canadian resident from Protestant Orphanage, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 20
  • Miss Annie Laura  Morley (1897-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 20
Hillcrest Coal Mine
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Sidney V Morley (b. 1902), English Chief Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Brighton, Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Morley, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 23
  • Mr. Morley, British Plumber, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 23
HMS Royal Oak
  • Reginald Morley, British Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 24
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. William Morley (d. 1912), aged 34, English Third Class passenger from Petworth, West Sussex who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 25
  • Mr. Henry Samuel Morley (d. 1912), (alias Mr. Henry Marshall), aged 38, English Second Class passenger from Birmingham, Worcester who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 25
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Eugene Elvis Morley, American Fireman Second Class from Illinois, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 26

The Morley 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: Clementia tecte rigore
Motto Translation: Clemency concealed under rigour.

Suggested Readings for the name Morley +

  • The Morleys-Young Upstarts on the Southwest Frontier by Norman Cleaveland.
  • Ancestors And Descendants of Timothy Crosby Jr. by Paul Wesley Prindle.
  1. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. 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)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  6. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  9. 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)
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  11. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 48)
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
  16. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  19. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  20. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  21. List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners
  22. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  23. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  24. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  25. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
  26. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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