Rugeley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Rugeley was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Rugeley 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 Rugeley family

The surname Rugeley 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 Rugeley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rugeley research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1413, 1449, 1637 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Rugeley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rugeley Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Rugeley, Rudgely, Rugelay, Rogyll, Rudgeley, Rudgelie, Rudglie, Rudgley, Ruggeley, Ruggely, Rugley, Ruggley and many more.

Early Notables of the Rugeley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

De Rugeley of Staffordshire

Migration of the Rugeley family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Rugeley or a variant listed above: George Rudglie who settled in Barbados in 1635.

Citations +

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.