Show ContentsReveley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Reveley family

The surname Reveley was first found in Northumberland. "The Reveleys, who trace their pedigree to the reign of Edward II., were originally seated at the manor-house of Reveley, on the northern bank of the river Beamish, at the south-east foot of Cheviot, and subsequently at Ancroft, in Northumberland. " 1

Early History of the Reveley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Reveley research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Reveley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Reveley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Reveley, Reevely, Revely and others.

Early Notables of the Reveley family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Reveley of Northumberland

Ireland Migration of the Reveley family to Ireland

Some of the Reveley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Reveley migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Reveley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mary Reveley, who landed in Virginia in 1696 2
  • Rebecka Reveley, who arrived in Virginia in 1696 2
  • Simon Reveley, who landed in Virginia in 1696 2

Australia Reveley migration to Australia +

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

Reveley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Reveley, (b. 1806), aged 22, English shepherd who was convicted in Folkestone, Kent, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1863 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Reveley (post 1700) +

  • Walter Taylor Reveley II (1917-1992), American academic, 18th President of Hampden-Sydney College (1963-1977)
  • Walter Taylor Reveley IV (b. 1974), American educator and lawyer, 26th President of Longwood University (2013-)
  • Walter Taylor Reveley III (b. 1943), American academic, 27th President of the College of William & Mary (2008-)
  • Paul J. Reveley, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Kovno, 1929; Leipzig, 1931-32; Palermo, 1938 4
  • Henry Willey Reveley (1788-1875), English-born, Australian civil engineer responsible for the earliest public works at the Swan River Colony
  • Willey Reveley (1760-1799), English architect from Morpeth, Northumberland, father of Henry Willey Reveley
  • Mary Christiana Reveley (1940-2017), née Allison, an English racehorse trainer who had 2,010 (Jumps: 1,330; Flat: 680) wins
  • Demelza Rose Reveley (b. 1991), Australian model from Wollongong, New South Wales, winner of the fourth cycle of Australia's Next Top Model

HMS Cornwall
  • Ronald Hornsey Reveley (d. 1942), British Musician aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 5


The Reveley 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: Optima revelatio stella
Motto Translation: A star the best revelation.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A


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