First found in Derbyshire where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Kallay or a variant listed above: Sam UEL Culley who settled in Virginia in 1623; Charles Culley settled in New England in 1748; Edward Cully settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1829; John Culley settled in New York State in 1803.

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