Heatlie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Heatlie reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Heatlie family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Heatlie family lived in Heathley, Staffordshire.

Early Origins of the Heatlie family

The surname Heatlie was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Heighley (pronounced Heathley or Heatly). At the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England at Hastings in 1066, this village was the King's land, but reconstructing the evidence, there remains the ruins of a 13th century castle at Heighley which was probably reduced by an angry King. We next see Sir Robert of Keatlie far to the north in the lands of Mellerston just over the border in Scotland. In 1296 his successor, Sir Alexander of Hateley, made his peace with King Edward 1st of England in his brief conquest of Scotland and declared his oath of allegiance and loyalty to him. Sir Alexander's seal is a boar's head which is consistent with the Coat of Arms for Heathley.

Early History of the Heatlie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heatlie research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heatlie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heatlie 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 Heathley, Heighley, Heatley, Heathly and others.

Early Notables of the Heatlie family

More information is included under the topic Early Heatlie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heatlie family to Ireland

Some of the Heatlie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heatlie 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 Heatlie name or one of its variants: Robert Heathly who landed in North America in 1697.

Contemporary Notables of the name Heatlie (post 1700) +

Bob Heatlie (1946-2023), Scottish songwriter and record producer from Craigmillar, Edinburgh, Scotland
Barry "Fairy" Heatlie (1872-1951), South African rugby union player, the fifth captain of the South African rugby union team, inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame (2009)