| ![Show Contents]() Topliss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The name Topliss was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Topliss family lived in Yorkshire. The name is derived from a combination of the Old English personal name Topp, and the word leah, meaning wood or clearing, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a wood or clearing owned by someone named Topp. Early Origins of the Topliss familyThe surname Topliss was first found in Yorkshire where they are conjecturally descended from a junior branch of the Percys. Topcliff or Topclive was granted to a Norman Baron named William Percy who later became the Earl of Northumberland and one of the most senior mighty nobles of the land. At the time of the Conquest, Topcliff consisted of a church and a mill on the side of the banks of the River Swale. Early History of the Topliss familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Topliss research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1451, 1532, 1593, 1598, 1603, 1604, 1740, 1778, 1832 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Topliss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Topliss Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Topliss are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Topliss include Topley, Topler, Topliffe, Topcliff, Topclive, Toppley, Topleif, Toplief, Toplis and many more. Early Notables of the Topliss familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was George Topcliff, Member of Parliament for Scarborough (1451); and Augustus Montague Toplady (1740-1778), an Anglican clergyman and hymn-writer.Richard Topcliffe (1532-1604), was a persecutor of Roman Catholics, born, according to his own account, in 1532, was the eldest son of Robert Topcliffe of Somerby, near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. "Topcliffe's name...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Topliss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Topliss migration to the United States | + |
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Topliss, or a variant listed above:
Topliss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Mr. Wm Topliss, aged 30, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Plain Joan" 1
Topliss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Lainpley Topliss, aged 42, who immigrated to the United States from Batley, in 1896
Topliss Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- George Ernest Topliss, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1906
- George Ernest Topliss, aged 31, who landed in America from Thornton Heath, Surrey, in 1906
- Elsie Topliss, aged 25, who settled in America from Derby, England, in 1912
- John Topliss, aged 22, who landed in America, in 1921
- James Topliss, aged 14, who immigrated to America, in 1922
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Topliss 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: Topliss Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. Henry Topliss, (b. 1835), aged 28, British joiner and carpenter travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 2
- Mrs. Susanna Topliss, (b. 1841), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Topliss (post 1700) | + |
- David Topliss (1949-2008), English Rugby League World Cup winning footballer and coach
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Topliss migration to the United States 
Topliss migration to New Zealand 
