Irelan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The ancestors of the Irelan surname are thought to have lived in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The name Irelan was given to someone who lived in Ireland. According to tradition, this surname originated when emigrants from Ireland acquired the Norman surnames of de Yrlande and le Ireis. Eventually, some of the descendants of these emigrants returned to the Emerald Isle as strangers. The names went through further changes, first occurring in their modern forms by 1664, in the Hearth Money Rolls for Armagh. The surnames Ireland and Irish were formerly well-known in Couny Kilkenny, but are now primarily found in Ulster. 1

These names provide an interesting example of Hiberno-Norman name formation in that, unlike most Norman names in Ireland, they did not originate with people of Norman stock who then migrated to Ireland. Rather, they originated with Irish migrants who moved to Norman-speaking regions, gained their surnames, and then returned to Ireland. The word "Ireland" goes back to the Old English Iraland, created using the Celtic Ir.

Early Origins of the Irelan family

The surname Irelan was first found in Stirlingshire, where one of the first records of the name was John Yberniens de Frertun who was a witness in 1288. Patrick of Ireland, was accused of housebreaking at Forfar, was hanged in 1296. David de Ireland was one of the Scots prisoners taken at Dunbar Castle in 1296; and cattle belonging to Walter de Ibemia were driven off from a moor near Aberdeen in the same year. Robert de Irland of Stirlingshire rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296. 2

Some of the family were found further south in England. The township of Lydiate in Lancashire is one such place. "In the reign of Richard II., this place was possessed by a family of the local name, whose heiress married into the Blackburn family; and an heiress of the latter conveyed Lydiate to Thomas, son of Sir John Ireland, of the Hutt, and Hale. The Irelands continued to hold the property till the latter part of the 17th century." 3

Another source notes "the family are descended from Sir John de Ireland of Lancashire, temp. William the Conqueror." 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Thomas de Ireland; Johannes de Yrland; Margereta Ireland; and Walterus Ireland as all holding lands there at that time. 5

For a short period, Warrington, Lancashire was an early family seat of the family. The manor was originally held by the "Boteler family until nearly the end of the sixteenth century, when the Boteler manors and estates were broken up and the Irelands, who purchased the principal share, enfranchised the subordinate manors of the fee. It was purchased by Thomas Ireland, afterwards a knight, in 1597. In 1628, however, his son Thomas Ireland of Bewsey and Margaret his wife, together with George and Robert Ireland, joined in selling the manors of Warrington, Orford, and Arpley, with various lands and rents, to William Booth, eldest son of Sir George Booth, Baronet, of Dunham Massey in Cheshire." 6

Early History of the Irelan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Irelan research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1336, 1454, 1469, 1480, 1489, 1496, 1502, 1524, 1561, 1600, 1624, 1636, 1654, 1675, 1677, 1678, 1679, 1890 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Irelan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irelan Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Irelan has appeared as Ireland, Ierland and others.

Early Notables of the Irelan family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

Blessed William Ireland (1636-1679), alias Ironmonger, an English Jesuit. He the "eldest son of William Ireland of Crofton Hall, Yorkshire, by Barbara, daughter of Ralph (afterwards Lord) Eure of Wash...
Sir Gilbert Ireland (1624-1675), was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1675

Migration of the Irelan family to Ireland

Some of the Irelan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irelan migration to the United States +

Significant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Irelan Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Isabella Cath. Irelan, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
M. J. Irelan, aged 39, who landed in America, in 1920
Charles Irelan, aged 32, who landed in America, in 1922

Contemporary Notables of the name Irelan (post 1700) +

Megan Irelan, American Second Unit Director, best known for her work on Borders (2000) and The Paper Route (1999)
Harold "Hal" Irelan (1890-1944), American Major League Baseball second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1911

The Irelan Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Amor et pax
Motto Translation: Love and peace.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].