Grimlee is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Grimlee family lived in Worcestershire as Lords of the manor of Grimley.
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Early Origins of the Grimlee family
The surname Grimlee was first found in Worcestershire at Grimley, a village and civil parish now in the Malvern Hills District, originally in the union of Martley, Lower division of the hundred of Oswaldslow. An ancient Saxon stronghold, the first listing of the place name was in the 9th century when it was listed as Grimanleage. By the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name had evolved to Grimanleh and consisted of a mill and one half of a fishery of eels. 1 The place name literally means "wood or glade haunted by a spectre or goblin," from the Old English words "grima" + "leah." 2
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Early History of the Grimlee family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Grimlee research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1890 is included under the topic Early Grimlee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Grimlee 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 Grimley, Grimly, Grimleigh, Grimlie, Grymley and many more.
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Early Notables of the Grimlee family
More information is included under the topic Early Grimlee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Grimlee family to Ireland
Some of the Grimlee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Grimlee family
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 Grimlee name or one of its variants: Barnard Grimley settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1864; followed by Owen in 1875.
England
Ireland
