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Show ContentsJoley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Joley is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Joley was a Norman name used for a person originating in France, and was associated with the French Huguenots. This nickname surname originated with an early member who was a happy and lively person. But we must look to Normandy where the earliest records of the root name was found. As a variant of Jolliffe, it was found there as early as 1195 with N. Giolif. Three years later Robert Jolif was listed in a census in the same area of Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Joley family

The surname Joley was first found in Yorkshire where there are numerous variations of the name listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 including: Johannes Yoly, Agnes, servienes Joly Johnan, Henricus Joly; Ricardus Jolyman; Willelmus Jolyman and Johannes Jolyman. 2

This distinguished Huguenot family were granted lands firstly in Staffordshire. Many moved north into Scotland where records there show Alan and Bervy Jolly were granted lands in the county of Edinburgh in 1450. 3

As confirmation of their Huguenot origin, not all of the family moved far from the English coastline. Some stayed in Cornwall as Pencoose in the parish of St. Enoder was a seat of the family of Jolly in early years. This was afterwards purchased in the reign of Charles II. by Arthur Fortescue, Esq. 4

Early History of the Joley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Joley research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1610, 1629, 1642, 1646, 1647, 1659, 1666, 1677, 1684, 1692, 1703, 1714, 1716, 1757 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Joley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Joley 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 Jollie, Jolley, Jolly, Jollys and others.

Early Notables of the Joley family

Notable in the family at this time was Rev. James Jollie, senior chaplain of the Church of Scotland and chaplain of St. Andrew's Church in Madras. Thomas Jollie (1629-1703) was an English Dissenter, a minister ejected for his beliefs from the Church of England. He was "born at Droylsden, near Manchester, on 14 Sept. 1629, and baptised on 29 Sept. at Gorton Chapel, then in the parish of Manchester. His father, Major James Jollie (1610-1666), was provost-marshal general of the forces in Lancashire (1642-1647), and was nominated (2 Oct. 1646) an elder for Gorton in the first or Manchester classis in the...
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Joley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Joley family to Ireland

Some of the Joley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Joley 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 Joley name or one of its variants:

Joley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Piere Joley, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1764 5
  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. 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)
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
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