Witelay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Witelay came to England with the ancestors of the Witelay family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Witelay 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 Witelay family

The surname Witelay 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 Witelay family

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

Witelay Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Whitley, Whiteley, Whitleigh, Whytleigh, Whyteleigh, Wytley, Whitlie and many more.

Early Notables of the Witelay family

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

Migration of the Witelay family to Ireland

Some of the Witelay 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 Witelay family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Witelay 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.