| ![Show Contents]() Hegley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England Early Origins of the Hegley familyThe surname Hegley was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Hagley. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Hagley held by Roger, a Norman noble, under tenant of William FitzAnsculf who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Hagley Hall, a Palladian mansion, was later famous for its paintings. Early History of the Hegley familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hegley research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1221 and 1395 are included under the topic Early Hegley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hegley Spelling VariationsAnglo-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 Hagley, Haggley, Haggeley, Hagleigh, Hagelea and others. Early Notables of the Hegley familyMore information is included under the topic Early Hegley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Hegley migration to the United States | + |
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 Hegley name or one of its variants:
Hegley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- E. Hegley, who arrived in San Francisco in 1851
| Contemporary Notables of the name Hegley (post 1700) | + |
- John Hegley (b. 1953), popular English performance poet, musician and songwriter
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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Hegley migration to the United States 
