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![Show Contents]() Rugelay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Rugelay is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Rugelay family lived in Staffordshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Rugles, a village in the department of Eure, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The name Ruggles is of the same derivation and shares its coat of arms with the Rudgely family. Early Origins of the Rugelay familyThe surname Rugelay was first found in Staffordshire at Rugeley, a historic market town and parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Rugelie 1 and literally meant "woodland clearing on or near a ridge" having derived from the Old English "hrycg" + "leah." 2 At that time, the lands were shown to be the King's lands and consisted of a mill and a village. Over the years the town has also been historically known as Rudgeley or Ridgeley. The manor of Rugeley was granted by Henry VIII to William, first Lord Paget, ancestor of the Marquess of Anglesey, the present lord of the manor. 3 Early History of the Rugelay familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rugelay research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1413, 1449, 1637 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Rugelay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Rugelay Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Rugeley, Rudgely, Rugelay, Rogyll, Rudgeley, Rudgelie, Rudglie, Rudgley, Ruggeley, Ruggely, Rugley, Ruggley and many more. Early Notables of the Rugelay familyMore information is included under the topic Early Rugelay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Rugelay familyFor many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Rugelay or a variant listed above were: George Rudglie who settled in Barbados in 1635.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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