The surname Offaly was first found in Hertfordshire at Offley, a civil parish that includes the main village Great Offley. Little Offley is a small hamlet lying 1½ miles north-west of Great Offley. Collectively, this ancient Saxon settlement dates back to 944-6 when it was first listed as Offanlege. 1 By the Domesday Book of 1086, the villages were known as Offelei. 2 The place name literally means "woodland clearing of a man called Offa," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 1 Another source claims "this place received its name from King Offa (died 796), who is said to have died here." 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Offaly research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1547, 1556, 1582, 1649, 1666, 1708, 1716, 1742 and 1829 are included under the topic Early Offaly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Distinguished members of the family include Robert Offley who inherited Norton Hall, an English country house situated on Norton Church Road in the suburb of Norton in Sheffield in 1666. The family held the estates for many generations including Stephen Offley who was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1716. Thomas Offley (d. 1582) a wool and cloth merchant, bought Madeley Old Manor was a medieval manor house at Madeley, Staffordshire from Sir Francis Poyntz in 1547. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1556... Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Offaly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Daniel and David Offley who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635; John H. Offley settled in Baltimore Maryland in 1823.
England
