Rapley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancient roots of the Rapley family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Rapley comes from when the family lived in the village of Ripley found in various locations in England including Yorkshire. The surname was originally derived from the Old English words ripel meaning strip of land and leah meaning wood. Thus the original bearers of the surname lived in the area that was defined by a strip of land by the forest. 1

The Domesday Book of 1086 included entries for: Ripelei (Derbyshire), Riple (Hampshire) and Ripeleia (Yorkshire.) 2

Interestingly "the chapel, [in Ripley, Surrey] which appears to have been founded about the end of the 12th century, is, in a record of the time of Edward II., called the oratory of Ripelia or Ripellee; and in the 2nd of Edward VI. seems to have been regarded as a chantry chapel." 3

Early Origins of the Rapley family

The surname Rapley was first found in Yorkshire at Ripley. "This place was anciently the property of the Ripley family, by marriage with whose heiress, about the latter part of the fourteenth century, it was conveyed to Sir Thomas Ingilby, whose descendant, William, was created a Baronet in 1642: the title, becoming extinct, was revived in 1781, and has passed to Sir William Amcots Ingilby, the present owner of the estate. During the parliamentary war, Ripley Castle was visited after the battle of Marston-Moor by Oliver Cromwell, who passed one night here; it was originally built in 1555, and having been much enlarged and improved during the present century, is a handsome castellated mansion, finely situated in a demesne tastefully laid out. " 3

"The Ripleys were mayors of Ripon in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. The name is now scarce. " 4

In Scotland the family is generally believed to have descended from the Yorkshire branch. Here we found: "Bernaidus de Rippeley witnessed the gift by Alexander II of ten marks annually to the Abbey of Arbroath in 1247 (RAA., I, p. 202), and in 1249 he witnessed a charter de Werenna de Muskilburg (Musselbergh) to the monks of Dunfermline. He also witnessed confirmation of the gift of the lands of Prendergest to the monks of Coldingham in the reign of Alexander II. Willelmus de Rypeley is mentioned in a charter of 1279 as the progenitor of Sir William de Dolays (Dallas), and as having held the lands of Dolays Mykel under a grant of confirmation of William the Lion." 5

Early rolls include the following early spellings: Bernard Rippeley in Yorkshire, 1175-1183; Roger Rippeley in Northumberland in 1242; and Richard Rypplay in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls in 1381. 6 The later rolls also include: Matilda de Riplay in 1379. 7

Early History of the Rapley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rapley research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1490, 1682, 1721 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Rapley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rapley Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Rapley has appeared include Ripley, Rippley, Rippley, Rippleigh, Ripleigh, Riplea and many more.

Early Notables of the Rapley family

Notables of this surname at this time include: George Ripley (died 1490), and English alchemist, born at Ripley in Yorkshire. However, this branch seems to have become extinct during the fifteenth century. The alchemist Ripley has been confused with George (or Gregory) Ripley (d. 1400?), a Carmelite friar of Boston, and author of lives of St. Botolph and John of...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rapley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rapley migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Rapley arrived in North America very early:

Rapley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Abram Rapley, who landed in New York in 1806 8
Noah Rapley, aged 33, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 8

Rapley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Martha Eunice Rapley, aged 26, originally from Duncan, Scotland, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England 9
William Rapley, aged 21, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Tivives" from Cartagena, Colombia 9
Annie Rapley, aged 25, originally from Woking, England, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "New York" from Southampton, England 9

Rapley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rapley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

C Rapley, who arrived in Montreal in 1832
J Rapley, who landed in Montreal in 1832

Contemporary Notables of the name Rapley (post 1700) +

Richard Warwick "Dick" Rapley (1918-1972), New Zealand-born businessman and politician in the Cook Islands, Member of the Legislative Assembly between 1963 and 1965
Alan Rapley (b. 1970), British swimmer who competed in the men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay event at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Teremoana Rapley MNZM (b. 1973), born Tere Veronica Rapley, New Zealand singer, MC and television presenter
Kevin Rapley (b. 1977), British footballer
Frank Rapley (b. 1937), born Arthur Frank Rapley, New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket for Canterbury from 1958 to 1960
Curtis Rapley (b. 1990), New Zealand two-time silver medalist rower at the 2013 World Rowing Championships
Christopher Graham "Chris" Rapley CBE (b. 1947), British scientist, Director of the British Antarctic Survey from 1998 to 2007, Director of the Science Museum (2007-2010)
Rapley Holmes (1868-1928), Canadian stage and screen actor, best known for playing the part of Joe Horn in the long running Somerset Maugham play Rain (1922)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result