The history of the Soudely family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Gloucestershire, at Sudely.
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Early Origins of the Soudely family
The surname Soudely was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat at Sudely Castle. Conjecturally they are descended from the holder of these estates, Harold FitzRalph, said to be the illegitimate son of King Harold, 1 but counter claims say that he was the son of the Earl of Hereford. He was granted these lands by Duke William of Normandy after the Conquest of England in 1066 A.D. The Domesday Book survey of 1086 A.D., shows Harold as holding 6 mills. The Castle was erected soon after as a defense against the Welsh intrusions to the west.
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Early History of the Soudely family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Soudely research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1140 is included under the topic Early Soudely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Soudely Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Sudeley, Sudely, Sudly, Sodely, Soudley, Soudly, Soudely and many more.
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Early Notables of the Soudely family
More information is included under the topic Early Soudely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Soudely family
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Soudely name or one of its variants: John Sudley who settled in Carolina in 1717.
England
