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Walmsley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Walmsley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Walmsley family

The surname Walmsley was first found in Lancashire at Bickersfatte and Houghton. " In after times the township [of Wilpshire in Lancashire] became a possession of the Walmesleys, of whom Sir Thomas Walmesley died seised of the estate in the reign of Charles I." 1 Today Walmersley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester. The place name literally meant "lake by the wood." 2

"The Walmsleys, who derived their name originally from a Lancashire township, are now very numerous in the Preston district. There was an old and distinguished family of this name at Dunken Haigh or Dunkenhalgh, Blackburn, during the 16th and 17th centuries: Sir Thomas Walmsley, of Dunkenhalgh, was a judge of the Common Pleas in the reign of Elizabeth. Walmesley, of Dunkenhalgh, was one of the intended Knights of the Royal Oak, an Order, however, the institution of which by Charles II. was never accomplished (B.). The Walmesleys of Coldcotes branched off from the Dunkenhalgh stock in the 17th century." 3

Roger de Walmeresleghe was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332 and later, John Wamesley was a Freeman of Leicestershire in 1549. 4

Early History of the Walmsley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walmsley research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1193, 1537, 1612, 1680, 1690, 1698, 1701, 1713 and 1751 are included under the topic Early Walmsley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walmsley Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Walmsley has appeared include Walmsley, Warmsley, Walmsly, Walmesley, Wormsley, Walmsleigh, Warmsleigh, Walmsleigh, Walmesleigh, Wormsleigh, Wolmsley, Wolmsleigh, Walmslee, Walmsley, Walmslea, Warmslea, Warmslee, Walmslie, Warmslie, Walmslie, Walmeslea, Walmeslee, Walmeslie, Wormslee, Wormslie, Wormslea, Wormeslie and many more.

Early Notables of the Walmsley family

Distinguished members of the family include

Gilbert Walmisley or Walmsley (1680-1751), was a close friend of Dr. Johnson, and was descended from an ancient family in Lancashire. "He was born in 1680, and was the son of William Walmisley of the...

Walmsley Ranking

In the United States, the name Walmsley is the 11,284^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Walmsley is ranked the 972^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,157 people with that name. 6

Walmsley migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Walmsley arrived in North America very early:

Walmsley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Walmsley, who landed in Virginia in 1622 7
John Walmsley who settled in Virginia in 1623
Thomas Walmsley, his wife, two sons and four grandchildren arrived in Delaware in 1682
Thomas Walmsley, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 7
John Walmsley, who settled in Virginia in 1690

Walmsley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Clara Walmsley, aged 9, who settled in America, in 1893

Walmsley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Arthur Walmsley, aged 29, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool, England, in 1907
Bessie Walmsley, aged 62, who immigrated to the United States from Barrow-in-Furness, England, in 1907
Charles Walmsley, aged 28, who landed in America from Paisley, Scotland, in 1907
A. T. Walmsley, aged 23, who landed in America, in 1908
Alice Walmsley, aged 40, who settled in America from Croydon, England, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Walmsley migration to Australia +

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

Walmsley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Walmsley, (b. 1795), aged 26, English weaver who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Thomas Walmsley, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. James Walmsley, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. George Walmsley, (b. 1817), aged 21, English gardener who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1898 11

Walmsley 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:

Walmsley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Captain Walmsley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hamilton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 12
Mrs. Walmsley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hamilton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 12
G. Walmsley, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wild Duck" in 1864
Miss Ellen Walmsley, (b. 1845), aged 20, English domestic servant from Louth travelling from London aboard the ship "Tudor" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1865 13
Miss Elizabeth Walmsley, (b. 1843), aged 22, English domestic servant from Louth travelling from London aboard the ship "Tudor" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th September 1865 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Walmsley (post 1700) +

William Walmsley (b. 1892), English co-founder of the Swallow Sidecar Company which later became the Jaguar car company
John S. Walmsley Jr. (1920-1951), American Air Force pilot, posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor
Thomas Semmes Walmsley (1889-1942), American politician, Mayor of New Orleans 1929 to 1936
Walter Newbold Walmsley Jr. (1904-1973), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia, 1959-62 14
Robert Walmsley, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Rockland County, 1943-60 14
Thomas Walmsley (1763-1805), English landscape-painter, was descended from a family of good position at Rochdale, Lancashire, but was born in Ireland 15
Sir Joshua Walmsley (1794-1871), English politician, son of John Walmsley, builder, born at Liverpool on 29 Sept. 1794
John William Walmsley (1903-1970), English professional association footballer
Jon Walmsley (b. 1956), English actor
Vice Admiral Sir Robert Walmsley KCB, FREng, FRSA, FIET (b. 1941), Scottish Royal Navy officer, Chief of Defence Procurement at the UK Ministry of Defence from 1996 to 2003
... (Another 6 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.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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/
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019