Copely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Copely name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Copley Plain in Loughton, which was in Essex; in Copley Hill in Babraham, which was found in Cambridgeshire; or in Copley in Halifax, which was in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Thus, the surname Copely belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Copely family

The surname Copely was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Copley. Another branch of the family was later found at Sprotborough. "The manor subsequently became the property of the Copley family, of whom Sir Godfrey built the present spacious mansion in the reign of Charles II., and whose descendant Sir Joseph Copley, Bart., is now lord." 1

"The manor [of Batley in the West Riding of Yorkshire] was for eighteen generations held by the Copley family." 1

Early History of the Copely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Copely research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1534, 1567, 1575, 1577, 1582, 1584, 1590, 1603, 1604, 1607, 1611, 1623, 1648, 1653, 1661, 1662, 1677, 1678, 1679, 1681, 1684, 1685, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1695, 1707 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Copely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Copely 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 Copely has undergone many spelling variations, including Copley, Coppley, Copply, Coply and others.

Early Notables of the Copely family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Copley of Bedingfield; Anthony Copley (1567-1607), English, Catholic supporter of Queen Elizabeth, known for his disapproval of the Jesuit meditations on martyrdom; Sir Lionel Copley (1648-1693), who arrived in America in 1692 to become the 1st Royal Governor of Maryland (1692 until...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Copely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Copely family to Ireland

Some of the Copely 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.

Copely migration to the United States +

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 Copely were among those contributors:

Copely Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Copely, who arrived in Maryland in 1637 2
Jeremiah Copely, who landed in Maryland in 1668 2

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)