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Walley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Walley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Walley family, who lived in Lancashire, in the township of Whalley while Whaley is a small village in Derbyshire.

"The name of this great parochial division is Saxon, signifying the "Field of Wells," expressed by the word Walalæh. The village is chiefly celebrated for the venerable ruins of its abbey. In 1296 Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, having given the advowson of Whalley to the White monks of Stanlow, in Cheshire, they removed hither, and founded an abbey of the Cistercian order, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin it was consecrated in 1306, and additions were made to the buildings for more than 140 years after that time. The remains are still considerable, and possess much interest, exhibiting portions in the early, decorated, and later English styles." 1

Early Origins of the Walley family

The surname Walley was first found in Lancashire where they were descended from Wyamarus Whalley, who accompanied William the Conqueror, from Normandy, and was the Standard Bearer at the Battle of Hastings. The Conqueror gave him the lordship of Whalley in the county of Lancaster. In 1296 an Abbot and about 20 monks arrived in Whalley to create a church that would become Whalley Abbey. One of the census records of the name was Robert de Whalley who died before 1193 and was listed as the rector of Rochdale. 2

The church of St. Michael in Aughton, Lancashire would be an important ecclesiastical stronghold for the family. For it was there that a long tradition of rectors in the family was established. The first was Henry le Waleys who was rector in 1292, followed by Thomas le Waleys in 1303, Gilbert le Waleys in 1317, John le Waleys in 1318 and Henry (son of Richard) le Waleys in 1337. 3

The first of the tenants of Litherland, Augton "was Richard le Waleys, who also held a third of the manor of Aughton. In 1212 it was found that he was holding a ploughland in Litherland for 10s. He died in 1221, and his son and heir Richard agreed to pay 40s. -four times the annual rent-as his relief, and was placed in possession. After the death of Richard, a Robert le Waleys appears to have been the principal member of the family; (fn. 10) possibly he was a brother and held some part of the manor, acting as guardian to John le Waleys of Litherland, the son and heir of Richard, who lived on till the beginning of the next century, and was after his death said to have been a 'centenarian.' " 3

Early History of the Walley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walley research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1499, 1583, 1607, 1660, 1675, 1686, 1718 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Walley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walley 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 Whalley, Whaley, Walley, Whally and others.

Early Notables of the Walley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Whalley (1499?-1583), an English politician, born about 1499, the only son and heir of Thomas Whalley of Kirkton, Nottinghamshire. "He was no doubt related to the Whalley of Screveton who was physician to Henry VII, and some of whose medical receipts are extant in the Bodleian. He is also said to have been related to Protector Somerset. " 4General Edward Whalley (c. 1607-c. 1675), was an English military leader during the English Civil War, one of the regicides who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England. At the Restoration...
Another 134 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walley Ranking

In the United States, the name Walley is the 7,708^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Walley family to Ireland

Some of the Walley 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.

Walley 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 Walley or a variant listed above:

Walley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Walley, who settled in Virginia in 1650
Elizabeth Walley, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 6
John Walley, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 6
Margaret Walley, who landed in Maryland in 1665 6
Rachel Walley, who landed in Maryland in 1665 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Walley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Adam Walley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 6

Walley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Walley, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1877 6

Walley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Walley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Amos Walley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
Benjamin Walley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760

Walley migration to Australia +

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

Walley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Walley, (b. 1815), aged 20, English Ploughman who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 14 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. John Walley, English convict who was convicted in Shrewsbury, Shorpshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Walley (post 1700) +

Samuel Hurd Walley (1805-1877), American businessman and politician, Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Augustus Walley (1856-1938), American Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army, recipient of the Medal of Honor or his actions in the Indian Wars
Deborah Walley (1941-2001), American actress who appeared in fifteen "Beach Party" films of the 1970s
Samuel Hurd Walley (1805-1877), American politician, Representative from Massachusetts 4th District, 1853-55 9
Martin L. Walley, American politician, Mayor of Auburn, New York, 1878; Greenback Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 26th District, 1878, 1880 9
H. Walley, American politician, Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts, 1855 9
Ben Walley, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1956 9
Keith John Walley (b. 1954), English former professional footballer from Weymouth, Dorset
Ernie Walley (b. 1933), English retired association football player, manager and coach
Christopher Nigel Walley (b. 1941), early English bass player for The Quarrymen
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Walley 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: Mirabile in profundis
Motto Translation: Wonderful in the Depths.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html