Contents [hide]

Whiley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Whiley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Whiley is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Whiley family lived in Villey, in Calvados, Normandy. "Or perhaps from the Norman fief of Vesli, as 'Hugue and Guillaume de Vesli' are entered on the Dives Roll. He held in Snidal, Newton, and Ackworth; and two hundred years later we find his descendant of the same name continuing to be the tenant of the Lacies in Yorkshire." 1

Early Origins of the Whiley family

The surname Whiley was first found in Warwickshire where John de Wili, de Wylegh was listed in the Pipe Rolls for 1201 and later in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1230. Years later, William de Wyly was listed in Warwickshire in 1299 and Simon Wylegh was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. Richard Wyleye was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1390. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Richard de Wileye in Cambridgeshire; Roger de Wylie in Bedfordshire; and Hugh de Wyly in Wiltshire. 3

Early History of the Whiley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whiley research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1449, 1590, 1618, 1642, 1643, 1645, 1663 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Whiley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whiley Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Wiley, Wylie, Whyley, Wyley, Wilie, Wyllie and others.

Early Notables of the Whiley family

Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whiley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Whiley family to Ireland

Some of the Whiley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 227 words (16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whiley migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Whiley or a variant listed above:

Whiley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Whiley, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1812 4
William Whiley, aged 26, who arrived in Delaware in 1812 4

Whiley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Cecil Whiley, who landed in America from Hampshead, England, in 1908
George Manning Whiley, aged 58, who immigrated to the United States from Hampshead, England, in 1908
Clara Whiley, aged 26, who landed in America from Birmingham, England, in 1910
George Whiley, aged 26, who settled in America from Birmingham, England, in 1910
Mary Whiley, aged 40, who landed in America from London, England, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Whiley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Whiley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Whiley, English convict from Derby, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Sarah Whiley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Whiley (post 1700) +

Charles B. Whiley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1916 7
Matthew Jeffrey Allen Whiley (b. 1980), former English cricket right-handed batsman
Richard Kingscote Whiley (b. 1935), former English cricket right-handed batsman
Johanne "Jo" Whiley (b. 1965), English radio disc jockey and television presenter, host of the BBC weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1
Jordanne Whiley (b. 1992), English wheelchair tennis player from Birmingham, Britain's youngest ever National women's singles champion in wheelchair tennis at the age of 14
Mark Whiley (b. 1992), Australian rules footballer
Manning Whiley (1915-1975), British actor from London

The Whiley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fides
Motto Translation: Faith.

Citations +

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
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Navarino.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html