Abberley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Abberley name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in one of the places called Apperley in Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Northumberland. There is also an Apperley Bridge in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 2

Apperley in Gloucestershire is the oldest as it dates back to 1200 when it was known as Apperleg. Literally the place name means "wood or clearing where apple trees grow," from the Old English "apuldor" + "leah." 3

Early Origins of the Abberley family

The surname Abberley was first found in Gloucestershire where Richard de Apperleee was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1221. A few years later, Thomas de Apperleye was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire c. 1280. 1

John de Apperleghe was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III) 4 and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included William de Appert, Oxfordshire. 5

"Apperley is an old Herefordshire surname, probably derived from the hamlet of that name in the neighbouring county of Gloucester. There were Apperleys in Linton 200 years ago, and during the reign of Charles II. Thomas Apperley, gent., lived at Eaton Tregose. In the last century, a gentle family of Apperley resided in Withington (D.). At present the Apperleys are mostly gathered together in the vicinity of Hereford, but there are still representatives of the name in Withington." 6

Early History of the Abberley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abberley research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1952 is included under the topic Early Abberley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abberley Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Abberley has undergone many spelling variations, including Appaleigh, Apperley, Apperly, Applegh, Appeley, Appley, Apply, Epperley, Epperleigh, Eppley and many more.

Early Notables of the Abberley family

More information is included under the topic Early Abberley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Abberley family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Abberley were among those contributors: Elizabeth Apperly who landed in New England in 1654 and died in 1663. John Apperley arrived in Barbados in 1654 and later moved to the mainland.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.