First found in Yorkshire where they were seated as Lords of the Manor of Swale from ancient times. Although the Manor does not appear in the Domesday Book in 1086 the first recorded date is of John Swale who held the Lordship. He married Alice, daughter of Gilbert de Gaunt, and related to John of Gaunt about 1150. At this time he held the manor of West Grenton or Grinton in Swaledale.

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 Swalley or a variant listed above: Ralph Swaile who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1880; George S Wales who settled in St. Christopher in 1635.

Motto Translated: Jesus, be my Savior

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