Wale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Wale is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived near a stone-built wall. Wale is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Other types of local surnames include topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. The surname Wale referred to a person who lived beside a large stone wall, which was used either for the purpose of fortification, or to keep back the encroachment of the sea. Members of the Wale family were established in Gloucestershire prior to the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066. By the time of the Conquest, they were major landholders in that county.

Early Origins of the Wale family

The surname Wale was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times and appeared as holders of lands in the Domesday Book compiled in 1086 by King William of England. The name was from the Anglo Saxon Wal, meaning a stranger. Wales is a parish, in the union of Worksop, S. division of the wapentake of Strafforth and Tickhill in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "This parish, in the Domesday Survey called Walise, belonged to Morcar, Earl of Northumberland, in the reign of Edward the Confessor." 1

Early History of the Wale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wale research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1210, 1303, 1352, 1588, 1620, 1647, 1666, 1679, 1728, 1760, 1789 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Wale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wale Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Wale has been spelled many different ways, including Wall, Walls, Wale, Walles and others.

Early Notables of the Wale family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir Thomas Wale (1303-1352), an English soldier and co-founder of the Knight of the Garter

Migration of the Wale family to Ireland

Some of the Wale family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wale migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Wales to arrive in North America:

Wale Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nathaniel Wale, who arrived in Boston in 1635 aboard the ship "James" 2
William Wale, who landed in Virginia in 1636 3
Margaret Wale, who landed in Maryland in 1654 3
Edward Wale, who arrived in Virginia in 1658 3
Jeremiah Wale, who landed in Virginia in 1665 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wale Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Wale, who arrived in New York in 1796 3

Wale migration to Australia +

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

Wale Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Wale, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Wale (post 1700) +

Samuel Wale RA (1721-1786), English historical painter and book illustrator
Henry John Wale (1827-1892), English author, soldier and church minister, tenth son of Major General Sir Charles Wale
Gregory Wale (1668-1739), English gentleman and jurist, Justice of the Peace for Cambridgeshire, County Treasurer and Conservator of the River Cam; his large obelisk erected in his memory still stands today on Magots Mount near Little Shelford, Cambridgeshire
Thomas Wale (1701-1796), English squire who collected documents then published the collection in the book My Grandfather's Pocket Book, son of Gregory Wale
Major General Sir Charles Wale (1765-1845), English General and diplomat, the last British Governor of Martinique (1812-1815), son of Thomas Wale
Matthew Cooper Wale (b. 1968), Solomon Islands politician, member of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands (2008-)
John Wale Probert (d. 1847), British Navy lieutenant

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
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 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde