Whitlee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Whitlee is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Whitlee family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Whitlee family lived in Devon, in the township of Whitleigh. Today Whiteley Bank, also spelled "Whitely Bank", is a small hamlet on the Isle of Wight, England and Whiteley is a community in the county of Hampshire founded in the 1980s.

Early Origins of the Whitlee family

The surname Whitlee was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from 1066, and Robert d'Aumale held the village of Whitleigh from Bishop Odo. The village is now a part of the city of Plymouth, and conjectural descent from Robert is most likely.

Early History of the Whitlee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whitlee research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1618, 1638, 1660, 1681, 1685, 1689, 1690 and 1697 are included under the topic Early Whitlee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Whitlee 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 Whitley, Whiteley, Whitleigh, Whytleigh, Whyteleigh, Wytley, Whitlie and many more.

Early Notables of the Whitlee family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Whitlee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Whitlee family to Ireland

Some of the Whitlee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Whitlee family

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 Whitlee or a variant listed above: Mitchell Whitley, who settled in Virginia in 1635; Richard Whitley, who settled in Virginia in 1646; Thomas Whitley, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682.