Stoodly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Stoodly 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 Stoodly family

The surname Stoodly 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 Stoodly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stoodly 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 Stoodly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stoodly Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Stoodly have been found, including Stoodley, Studley, Stoodly, Studly, Stodlege, Stoodlege and many more.

Early Notables of the Stoodly 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 Stoodly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stoodly migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Stoodly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Stoodly, aged 34, a farm labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Eliza Stoodly, aged 34, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841

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.