Keatley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Keatley surname lived in the settlement of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 2 The surname Keatley belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Keatley family

The surname Keatley was first found in Yorkshire at Keighley, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the E. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross. 3 The first listing of the place name was Chichelai in the Domesday Book of 1086. 4

"This place, anciently Kyghelay, was for many generations the property of the Kyghelay family, who either gave their name to, or derived it from, the manor; and of whom Gilbertus Kyghelay, of Utley, was buried here in 1203, according to an inscription on a stone still remaining in the parish church. In the reign of Edward I. Henry de Kyghelay, a member of the family, obtained the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair, with privilege of free warren for the inhabitants." 3

The first on record was found in the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. : Henry Kighele, Lancashire, I Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5

Henry de Kythelay was also found in Yorkshire in the 14th century. 6

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes de Kyghelay as holding lands there at that time. 7 A well-educated family, the Register of the University of Oxford had two early entries for the family: John Kighlye, Lincolnshire, 1576: and Philip Kyghley, or Kygleye, Worcestershire, 1583.

Early History of the Keatley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keatley research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1186, 1580, 1620, 1621, 1643, 1648, 1650, 1651, 1662, 1663, 1686, 1692, 1719, 1789, 1803, 1824 and 1872 are included under the topic Early Keatley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keatley Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Keatley are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Keatley include: Keightley, Keighley, Keitley, Keightly and others.

Early Notables of the Keatley family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Keightley (1650-1719), an English courtier and official in Ireland, Vice-Treasurer of Ireland in 1686, Commissioner of the Irish Revenue (1692), progenitor of the family in Ireland. He was the "son of William Keightley (b. 1621) of Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire, by his wife Anne, daughter of John Williams of London, whom he married in 1648 (Chester, Marriage Licenses, ed. Foster, p. 783). His paternal grandfather...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keatley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Keatley family to Ireland

Some of the Keatley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keatley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Keatley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Alice M.A. Keatley, (b. 1820), aged 38, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 8
Mr. Joseph Keatley, (b. 1820), aged 38, British smith travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 8
Mr. John H.H. Keatley, (b. 1850), aged 8, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 8
Miss Elizabeth Keatley, (b. 1851), aged 7, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 8
Miss Harriet Keatley, (b. 1853), aged 5, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th March 1859 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Keatley (post 1700) +

Gregory Steven "Greg" Keatley (b. 1953), American Major League Baseball catcher who played for two games for the Kansas City Royals in 1981
Gina Keatley, American nutritionist, media personality, and television host
Gregory Steven Keatley (b. 1953), American former Major League Baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals in 1981
Charlotte Keatley (b. 1960), English playwright
Ian James T. Keatley (b. 1987), Irish contemporary rugby union player from Dublin
Zilpha Keatley Snyder (1927-2014), American author of books for children and young adults

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html