Eastley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Eastley family

The surname Eastley was first found in Hampshire at Eastleigh, originally a Saxon village first recorded c. 932 as "East lea" where "leah" was an ancient Anglo-Saxon word meaning "a clearing in a forest." Collectively the place name meant "east wood or clearing." 1

The village lies on the old Roman road, built c. 79 A.D. between Winchester and Bitterne. By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the village was known as Estleie. 2 Today the village is a railway town in the Borough of Eastleigh. As far as the surname is concerned, it was first referenced in the year 1219 when Henry of Estleia held estates in Yorkshire. 3

Early History of the Eastley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eastley research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1510, 1541 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Eastley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eastley Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Eastley include Eastley, Eastleigh, Eastly, Easley, Easly, Easlie and many more.

Early Notables of the Eastley family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Eastley or Astley family of Essex

Eastley migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Eastley were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Eastley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Eastley, who landed in Virginia in 1719 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Eastley (post 1700) +

Max Eastley (b. 1944), English sound and visual artist
Tony Eastley, Australian presenter of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation local radio news and current affairs program AM

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)