Steedley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Steedley literally means "woodland clearing or pasture where a herd of horses is kept," from the Old English "stod" + "leah." [1] [2]

Another source notes the name denotes "belonging to Studleigh, Studley, the Middle English Stodley, Stodlegh, Anglo-Saxon Stódleáh (' tó stódleáge'- dat.: 'C.S.' no. 620) = the Stud-Lea. Studley was Stodlei in Domesday Book." [3]

Parishes and places with the name are found in Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, and West Riding of Yorkshire. "Stoodleigh is a parish in Devon, five miles from Hampton. There can be no doubt that the Dorset and Devon Studleys in general represent the last-named place." [4]

Early Origins of the Steedley family

The surname Steedley was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where William de Stodley, Leicestershire was recorded at that time. [4] A few years later, William de Stoddleye was recorded in Wiltshire in 1282 and later again, Henry Studley was found in Gloucestershire in 1373. [5]

In Devon, Robert held Stoodleigh near Oakford from Ralph de Pomeroy, and Arnold held Stoodleigh from Walter de Douai in West Buckland, also in Devon. "On Warbrightsleigh Hill, in the parish, are the remains of a beacon said to have been erected by Edward II." [6] This parish was recorded as Stodlei in the Domesday Book of 1086. [7]

The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III. included an entry for Thomas de Studle, Bedfordshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign.) In Walter de Stodleghe was listed there 1 Edward III. [8]

Early History of the Steedley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Steedley research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1545, 1561, 1566, 1570, 1572, 1573, 1584, 1586, 1588, 1590, 1610, 1644, 1662 and 1664 are included under the topic Early Steedley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steedley Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Steedley are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Steedley include: Stoodley, Studley, Stoodly, Studly, Stodlege, Stoodlege and many more.

Early Notables of the Steedley family

Distinguished members of the family include John Studley (c.1545-1590), an English academic, best known as a translator of Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist. "He matriculated from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1561; he graduated B. A. in 1566 and M.A. in 1570, being elected a fellow of the college in the interval. He was a good classical scholar, and at a very early age prepared, in continuation of the labours of Jasper Heywood, translations of four of Seneca's tragedies 'Agamemnon,' 'Medea,' 'Hippolytus,' and 'Hercules Oeteus.' He employed the common ballad metre for the dialogue, and rhyming decasyllabics for the...
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Steedley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Steedley migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Steedley or a variant listed above:

Steedley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Benjamin Steedley, aged 49, who landed in America from Spartenburg, S.C., in 1923
Edith Steedley, aged 16, who settled in Spartenburg, S.C., in 1923
Florence Steedley, aged 50, who immigrated to Spartenburg, S.C., in 1923

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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.