Brodlay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Brodlay is a name whose ancestors lived among the Picts, a tribe in ancient Scotland. The Brodlay family lived in the lands of Brodie, in the barony of Moray where the family at one time held territories. King Alexander III had granted their lands. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Gaelic word broth which means ditch.

Early Origins of the Brodlay family

The surname Brodlay was first found in Moray, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Brodlay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Brodlay research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1311, 1386, 1466, 1550, 1617, 1645 and 1680 are included under the topic Early Brodlay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Brodlay Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Brodlay has been spelled Brodie, Brody, Brodey, Brodye, Broadie, Broffee, Broffy, Brophie, Brophey, Brothie, Brophy, Brodley, Brothy and many more.

Early Notables of the Brodlay family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Brodlay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brodlay family to Ireland

Some of the Brodlay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Brodlay family

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Brodlay: Andrew Brodie who arrived in Philadelphia in 1811; Robert Brodie with wife and six children arrived in New York in 1775; Edward Brodie arrived in Philadelphia in 1813.