Contents [hide]

Ryland History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Ryland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Ryland is a name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066. The Ryland family lived in Lincolnshire at Ryland, a hamlet, in the parish of Welton, wapentake of Lawress, parts of Lindsey. 1

This name is a topographical reference to land owned by the Rye family in this county. Rye is also topographical and indicates that the original bearer of the name lived near to a field of rye, and was distinguished by this proximity.

Mr. J. Paul Rylands, F.S.A., says the name 'Ryelands is derived from the Anglo-Saxon rye or rhee, a water-course or stream, and lands, the lands adjoining or above the stream.'

Early Origins of the Ryland family

The surname Ryland was first found in Lancashire where Robert del Ruylondes, of West Halghton was recorded 1 Edward III. The same source notes William de Rylondes, of Halghton, 6 Edward III and Nicholas del Rylondes, 1436. 2

Another source notes Stephen de Riland in c. 1232-1245 and John de Rylaundes in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1281. Later in Cheshire, Thomas de Rilond was listed in the Assize Rolls c. 1296. 3

Early History of the Ryland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ryland research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1723, 1753, 1759, 1760, 1767, 1769, 1771, 1781, 1782, 1786, 1792, 1822, 1825 and 1838 are included under the topic Early Ryland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ryland Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Ryland, Roylance, Rylander, Rilands, Rylands and others.

Early Notables of the Ryland family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Collett Ryland (1723-1792), English divine, son of Joseph Ryland, a farmer and grazier of Lower Ditchford, Gloucestershire, and grandson of John Ryland, yeoman, of Hinton-on-the-Green, Gloucester...
John Ryland (1753-1825), Baptist minister, son of John Collett Ryland [q. v.], was born at Warwick on 29 Jan. 1753. He learnt Hebrew when only five years old, and Greek when under nine, and before he...
Herman Witsius Ryland (1760-1838), Canadian statesman, born at Northampton in 1760, was younger son of John Collett Ryland [q. v.] and brother of John Ryland (1753-1825) [q. v.] He was educated for th...

Ryland Ranking

In the United States, the name Ryland is the 16,018^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Ryland family to Ireland

Some of the Ryland 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.

Ryland migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ryland or a variant listed above:

Ryland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Ryland, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 5
John Ryland, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 5
William Ryland, who landed in Maryland in 1679 5
Thomas Ryland, who settled in Maryland in 1684
Margaret Ryland, who landed in Virginia in 1699 5

Ryland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Garrett Ryland, who landed in Virginia in 1705 5
William Ryland, who settled in Maryland in 1731
John Ryland, who settled in Philadelphia in 1774

Ryland migration to Australia +

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

Ryland Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Ryland, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Frederick Ryland, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Success" in 1851 7
John Ryland, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Success" in 1851 7
Mortimer Ryland, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Success" in 1851 7
Octavius Ryland (c. 1800-1886) was an English convict transported to Western Australia, arriving at Fremantle on board the "William Jardine" on August 1, 1852
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ryland 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:

Ryland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Pat Ryland, aged 15, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waitangi" in 1874
James Ryland, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Soukar" in 1874
Charles Ryland, aged 17, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Ryland (post 1700) +

Bert Dexter Ryland (1941-2005), American lawyer and judge, Ninth Judicial District Court judge in Alexandria, Louisiana
Robert Ryland (1805-1899), American academic, the first president of Richmond College
William Ryland (1770-1846), Irish-born, American Methodist clergyman, Chaplain of the Senate
Caius T. Ryland, American Democratic Party politician, Member of California State Assembly, 1855-56, 1867-69; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1888 8
William Wynne Ryland (1732-1783), English engraver, born in the Old Bailey, London, eldest of seven sons of Edward Ryland, a native of Wales, who came to London and worked as an engraver and copperplate printer in the Old Bailey; he pioneered stipple engraving but was later executed for forgery
Johnathan Edwards Ryland (1798-1866), English man of letters, only son of John Ryland (1753–1825)
John Collett Ryland (1723-1792), English divine, son of Joseph Ryland, a farmer and grazier of Lower Ditchford, Gloucestershire, and grandson of John Ryland, yeoman, of Hinton-on-the-Green, Gloucestershire
John Ryland (1753-1825), English Baptist minister, son of John Collett Ryland, born at Warwick; he learnt Hebrew when only five years old, and Greek when under nine, and before he was fifteen began teaching in his father's school
Herman Witsius Ryland (1760-1838), English-born, Canadian statesman, born at Northampton, younger son of John Collett Ryland and brother of John Ryland (1753–1825); a staunch believer in English, he attempted to establish in Canada the supremacy of the crown and the church of England which was net with stiff oppostition
Henry Ryland, British painter, decorator and designer in the late 1800s
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SUCESS 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Success.gif
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html