Show ContentsTailpay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Tailpay is a name that was carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Tailpay family lived in Lincolnshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Taillebois, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Alternatively, the name may be derived from the Old French "taillebosc," meaning "cut wood"; in this case, the name would refer to a wood-cutter. [1]

"The surname occurs frequently in Domesday. Ivo Tailgebosch, Lord of Holland, co. Lincoln, married Lucia, sister of the Saxon Earls Edwin and Morcar; and Ralph and Ivo Tailgebosc, Tallebosc, &c., were tenants in Bedfordshire. Other corruptions of this name are Tailboys, Tabois, and Tailbush." [2]

Early Origins of the Tailpay family

The surname Tailpay was first found in Lincolnshire, where "Ivo Tailgebosch, Lord of Holland, married Lucia, sister of the Saxon Earls Edwin and Morcar. " [2]

"Ivo Taillebois—evidently a cadet of the same house, was Chamberlain to Robert de Vipont, Lord of Westmorland, in the time of King John, and in 1206 obtained the Royal license to marry the widow of William Bardolph, Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of William Fitz William, Lord of Cokedale in Northumberland. Among other possessions, he held Hurworth-on-Tees, co. Durham, in her right; and their son again married an heiress. The next, Lucas, Sheriff of Northumberland in 1300, was the grandfather of Henry Tailboys, whose wife Eleanor, daughter and heir of Gilbert de Boroden, brought into the family the lion's share of the great heritage of the Umfrevilles." [3]

Early History of the Tailpay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tailpay research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1071, 1080, 1086, 1088, 1091, 1092, 1386, 1417, 1421, 1464, 1467, 1477, 1509, 1513, 1517, 1530, 1570 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Tailpay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tailpay Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Tailpay include Tallboys, Tailboys, Tailby, Talpy, Tailbois and many more.

Early Notables of the Tailpay family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Talboys or Tailboys, Earl of Kyme (d. 1464), born before 1417, son and heir of Walter Tailboys of Kyme in Lincolnshire. "Through the families of Barradon and Umfraville he represented the Kymes, lords of Kyme, and was in the male line a descendant of Ivo de Taillebois, a Norman invader, who received large grants in Lincolnshire from William I. William Tailboys was born before 1417, and...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tailpay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tailpay family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Tailpays to arrive on North American shores: John Talby, who immigrated to Salem, Massachusetts in 1639; Stephen Talby, who came to Boston in 1658; Mary Talpy and her husband, who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1735.



  1. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3


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