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Priestley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Priestley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Priestley is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in or near a clearing in a wood owned by priests. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old English elements preost, which means priest, and leah, which means forest clearing. The name as a whole therefore means "dweller in or near the forest clearing owned by priests." 1 There are several places that have this name; they are found in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Priestley family

The surname Priestley was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire where the "surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Priestley' (i.e the priest's meadow), some small estate in the near neighbourhood of Bradford." 2

However, we must look to the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire to find the first record of the family. For it is there that Samson de Presteleia was listed in 1198. From this Latin version, the name had evolved to Richard de Presteley who was listed in Yorkshire in 1297. 1

Kirby's Quest lists Walter Prestlegh in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) 3 Later, the following two entries were found at Hipperholme, near Bradford, Yorkshire during the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Elena de Presteley; and Johannes de Presteley. 2

Another source agrees with the Yorkshire origin, but notes "the ancient seat and inheritance of the family was in Soyland and Sowerby, in the parish of Halifax." 4

Early History of the Priestley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Priestley research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1661, 1700, 1733, 1734, 1739, 1742, 1745, 1760, 1764, 1777, 1779, 1804 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Priestley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Priestley Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Priestley were recorded, including Priestley, Priestly, Preistley,Pressley and others.

Early Notables of the Priestley family

Distinguished members of the family include

Joseph Priestley (1733-1804), English theologian and man of science, eldest of six children of Jonas Priestley (1700-1779), a cloth-dresser, by his first wife, Mary (d. 1739), only child of Joseph Swi...
Timothy Preistley (1734-1814), the English independent minister was the second child of Jonas and Mary Priestley and was born at Fieldhead in the parish of Birstall, Yorkshire, on 19 June 1734. He was...

Priestley Ranking

In the United States, the name Priestley is the 10,316^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Priestley migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Priestley family emigrate to North America:

Priestley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Priestley, aged 24, who landed in Virginia in 1683 6

Priestley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Abraham, Henry, James, John, Joseph, Patrick and Samuel Priestley all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870
Thomas Priestley, who arrived in Iowa in 1886 6

Priestley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Priestley Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

John Priestley, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
L Priestley, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
Miss M Priestley, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Priestley migration to Australia +

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

Priestley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Joseph Priestley, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Mr. Jabez Priestley, British Convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Eli Priestley, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Priestley, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Charles Priestley, (b. 1829), aged 14, British servant who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for receiving stolen goods, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1847 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Priestley (post 1700) +

Robert Priestley (1901-1986), American two-time Academy Award winning set decorator
Jason Bradford Priestley (b. 1969), Canadian two-time Golden Globe nominated and Gemini Award nominated actor and director
T. A. Priestley, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1916
Marion L. Priestley, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Lincoln County, 1966
John G. Priestley, American politician, Postmaster at Bristol, Pennsylvania, 1802-21
Elwood C. Priestley, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 7th District, 1942; Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Boone County, 1950; Chair of Boone County Republican Party, 1963
Timothy Priestley (1734-1814), English independent minister, second child of Jonas and Mary Priestley, born at Fieldhead in the parish of Birstall, Yorkshire
Sir Julian Gordon Priestley KCMG (1950-2017), English Secretary-General of the European Parliament from 1997-2007
Neil Priestley (b. 1961), former English cricketer
Briggs Priestley (1831-1907), English cloth manufacturer and politician from Bradford, West Yorkshire
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Priestley family +

Empress of Ireland

Miss Alice Priestley (1863-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12
Miss Martha Priestley (1864-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 12

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Joseph Arthur W. Priestley (1892-1917), English Able Seaman from the SS Gloucestershire from York, England, United Kingdom who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 13

HMS Royal Oak

Aubrey John Priestley (1924-1939), British Boy Bugler with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 14

The Priestley 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: Respice finem
Motto Translation: Regard the end.

Citations +

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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html