Ballay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Ballay is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is a name for a person who held the civil office of the same name in Normandy. The title 'Le Bailli' was approximately equal to that of Viscount or sheriff. 1 There was also a place named Bailleul-En-Vimeu which is about six miles south of Abbeyville in the Somme, Normandy from which some instances of the surname may have evolved. The name Ballay is also an occupational name for a steward or official, deriving from "baiulivus" in Late Latin. In Scotland the word bailie, rather than bailiff is still used as the title for an officer in the courts.

Early Origins of the Ballay family

The surname Ballay was first found in Northumberland. However, there is still great controversy over the earliest origins of the name. There was great popular belief that the name was changed from Balliol, due to the unpopularity of the two Scottish Kings of that name. However, many historians, such as Bain, find no evidence for such a change, and cite very early instances of the name Baillie, such as William de Bailli, who appeared as a juror on an inquest concerning forfeited lands in Lothian around 1311-12. 2

Early records of the Baillie Clan indicate that the aforementioned William de Bailli was also known as Baillie of Hoperig, who acquired the lands of Lamington in Lanarkshire. His son William was granted a charter confirming ownership of these same lands in 1358. Alexander, the eldest grandson of William and two brothers fled the country after they had beaten and killed their tutor. After serving in the army, Alexander received the lands of Dunain and Dochfour, and was appointed the Constable of Inverness. Another brother of Alexander's married a daughter of Sir Patrick Hume's in 1492, and from this union descended the Baillies of Jerviswood.

Early History of the Ballay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballay research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1292, 1296, 1308, 1332, 1338, 1585, 1587, 1589, 1610, 1611, 1630, 1632, 1634, 1644, 1648, 1657, 1664, 1667, 1671, 1684, 1691, 1701, 1719, 1720, 1721, 1738, 1740, 1741, 1744, 1749, 1764, 1872 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ballay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballay Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Baillie, Bailey, Bailie, Bayly, Bayley, Bailley, Baly, Ballye, Bayllie and many more.

Early Notables of the Ballay family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Balliol King of Scotland from 1292-1296; Dr Richard Baylie (1585-1667), twice President of St John's College, Oxford, twice Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University and Dean of Salisbury; John Bayley (died 1611), an English politician, Mayor of Salisbury in 1587, Member of the Parliament for Salisbury in 1589; Robert Baillie of Jerviswood (1632-1684), a civil and religious reformer, eventually put to death for his outspokenness; Robert Baillie (Baillie of Jerviswood) (ca.1634-1684), a Scottish conspirator implicated in the Rye House Plot against King Charles...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ballay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballay Ranking

In France, the name Ballay is the 4,440^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Ballay family to Ireland

Some of the Ballay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 174 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ballay migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Ballay name or one of its variants:

Ballay Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mr. Ballay, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ballay (post 1700) +

Dr. Noël Eugène Ballay (1847-1902), French auxiliary doctor in the French navy, explorer and colonial administrator, the 2nd Governor General of French West Africa (1900-1902)

The Ballay 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: Ubi bene ibi patria
Motto Translation: One's country is where one is well.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)