Stale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The present generation of the Stale family is only the most recent to bear a name, whose roots date back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The surname is derived from the Old English "stigol," meaning "stile, steep ascent," and refers to a "dweller by the stile." 1 2 A stile is a set of steps over a stone wall or wooden fence allowing people to traverse, but prevents animals from doing so.

Early Origins of the Stale family

The surname Stale was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where the family held a family seat in early times. The earliest known bearer of the name was Reginald atte Stighel, who was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1227. The Stale family branched to other counties at an early date, also appearing in Somerset, where William de Stile and Osmund Atthe Stihele were living in 1229 and 1234 respectively, as well as in Sussex, where William ate Stegel was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1296. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de la Style, Bedfordshire; John atte Stile, Oxfordshire; and Robert ate Stiele, Oxfordshire. 2

Early History of the Stale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stale research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1543, 1575, 1603, 1624, 1656, 1659, 1679, 1702 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Stale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stale 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 Stale include Stiles, Styals, Styles, Style, Stoyle, Steggle, Steagall, Steggal and many more.

Early Notables of the Stale family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Thomas Style, 1st Baronet of Wateringbury, Kent; and his son, Sir Thomas Style, 2nd Baronet (1624-1702) was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Kent (1656-1659.) William Style (1603-1679), was an "English legal author, eldest son of William Style...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stale family to Ireland

Some of the Stale family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stale 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:

Stale Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Stale, who landed in Virginia in 1653 4

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)