Gazeley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Gazeley family

The surname Gazeley was first found in Suffolk at Gazeley, a village and civil parish in the Forest Heath district that dates back to 1219. It was originally listed as Gaysleand which literally meant "woodland clearing of a man called Gaegi," having derived from the Old English personal name + "leah." 1

One of the first records of the surname was in the 13th century when Alexander de Gaseley was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275. The same source lists Andrew de Gasele in Norfolk. 2

Early History of the Gazeley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gazeley research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1630, 1669, 1762, 1824 and 1839 are included under the topic Early Gazeley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gazeley 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 Gazeley include Gazeley, Gazely, Gaselee, Gaselea, Gaysley, Geysley, Gesley, Gezley, Gayslee, Gazelee and many more.

Early Notables of the Gazeley family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Stephen Gaselee (1762-1839), Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, the son of Stephen Gaselee, an eminent surgeon at Portsmouth. "On the resignation of Sir John Richardson, he was selected on 1 July 1824 to supply the vacant justiceship in the common pleas, became a serjeant-at-law 5 July 1824, and was knighted at Carlton House on 27 April...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gazeley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gazeley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gazeley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Alfred Gazeley, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
Mr. William Gazeley, English convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Gazeley (post 1700) +

Albert Edward Gazeley, English poet, 14th Baron of Lochfergus

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian