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The ancestors of the Manlie family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in the places named Manley in Cheshire. The place-name was originally derived from the Old English word moene, which means common or shared, and leah, which means wood or clearing. 1
This surname is still found most frequently around the villages of Manley in Devon and Cheshire.
The surname Manlie was first found in Cheshire at Manley, a village and civil parish in the union of Runcorn, Second division of the hundred of Eddisbury. 2 The township dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Menlie. 3
"The manor of Manley in Cheshire was possessed in the reign of Henry III. by a family who assumed the name of the township, and held it as mediate lords under the Dones of Crowton." 4
This "family was an old one. Burke refers its origin to a 'Conqueror's follower' who appears as 'Manlay' in 'Battle Abbey Roll' (Holinshed, Chronicles, 1807, ii. 5). From the twelfth to the sixteenth century they resided in Chester, but in 1520 moved to Denbigh." 5
Despite the aforementioned, we must look to Devon to find the first listing in early rolls. It is there that William de Manelegh listed in 1202. Over one hundred years later, in Yorkshire, we found Alexander and James Manly in the Assize Rolls of 1363. 6
Cheshire proved to be stronghold of the family for centuries as the Wills at Chester listed Nicholas Manley, of Poulton, 1595, Ann Manley, of Chester, widow, 1618; and Thomas Manley, of Manley, husbandman, 1665. 7
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Manlie research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1157, 1520, 1621, 1622, 1626, 1628, 1629, 1640, 1646, 1655, 1659, 1667, 1672, 1688, 1699 and 1724 are included under the topic Early Manlie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Manley, Mandley, Mandly, Manly, Mannley and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Manley (c 1622-1699), an English politician, Post Master General, Member of Parliament for Denbigh Boroughs in 1659; and Mary de la Riviere Manley (c1672-1724), an English writer, editor of The Examiner, probably best known for her two plays "The Lost Lover" and "The Royal Mischief." She was the daughter of Sir Roger Manley [q. v.], and was born about 1672 in Jersey, or, according to another version, at sea between Jersey and Guernsey. She lost her mother while she was young, and her father, who had literary tastes, does not appear to...
Another 269 words (19 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Manlie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Manlie or a variant listed above: Edward, James, John, Joseph, Michael, Patrick, Richard, Thomas and William Manley all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860; Bridget, Ellen, James, John, Richard Manly all arrived in Quebec in 1848.