Show ContentsLockley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Lockley comes from when the family resided in the region of Loxley in Staffordshire. 1 Lockley is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Lockley family

The surname Lockley was first found in Staffordshire at Loxley, a liberty, in the parish and union of Uttoxeter, S. division of the hundred of Totmonslow. Alternatively the family could have originated in the parish of Loxley in Warwickshire. The latter was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Locheslei 2 and literally meant "woodland clearing of a man called "Locc," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 3 Interestingly, "Charles I. slept at the old mansion-house of Loxley the night before the battle of Edge-Hill, and many of those who were slain in the engagement were buried in the churchyard here." 4

Richard de Lokesley, taillour, temp. 14 Edward III was listed in the Freemen of York and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Thomas de Lokeslay. 5

John de Lokkesleye was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275 and a few years later, John de Loxelegh was listed in the Feet of Fines for Surrey (1315-1316.) 6

Early History of the Lockley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lockley research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1180 is included under the topic Early Lockley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lockley Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Lockley include Loxley, Lockley, Locksley and others.

Early Notables of the Lockley family

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


United States Lockley migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Lockley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ricd Lockley, aged 51, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 7
  • Charles Lockley, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 7
  • Ann Lockley, who landed in Virginia in 1648 7
Lockley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Lockley, who arrived in Virginia in 1745 7

Australia Lockley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lockley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. David Lockley, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 8 years, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia 8

New Zealand Lockley 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:

Lockley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • W Lockley, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1838
  • Henry Lockley, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
  • Elizabeth Lockley, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
  • Alice Lockley, aged under 1, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856
  • Miss Mary H. Lockley, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Shun Lee" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th August1871 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lockley (post 1700) +

  • Michael "Mike" Lockley (b. 1988), American football linebacker
  • Sidney L. Lockley, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 25th District, 1956 10
  • George Lockley, American Republican politician, Postmaster at East Saginaw, Michigan, 1871 10
  • Addison Lockley (b. 1991), English Rugby Union player from Taunton, England
  • Dr Martin G. Lockley, English palaeontologist
  • Lieutenant J. G. Lockley, Royal Navy base leader, biologist, and meteorologist at Port Lockroy in 1945, eponym of Lockley Point, Antarctica
  • Ven. Harold Lockley, Archdeacon of Leicester
  • Ronald Mathias Lockley (1903-2000), Welsh naturalist and author

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Reginald Orlando Lockley (b. 1941), British Lieutenant Commander, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales and survived the sinking, was wounded in action 1941 11


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. 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)
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  11. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


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