Morley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

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  Scotland 
  Ireland 


The Morley name is habitational, derived from any of the several places so named; such as Morley in Cheshire, Derbyshire, County Durham, Norfolk, and West Yorkshire, and Moreleigh in Devon. These place names come from the Old English words "mor," meaning "marsh" and "le-ah," meaning "a clearing in the woods." 1

Early Origins of the Morley family

The surname Morley was first found in Derbyshire at Morley, a parish, in the union of Belper, hundred of Morleston and Litchurch. 2

"In [the] Domesday Survey this place is described as one of the manors of Henry de Ferrers. In 1235 the manors of Morley and Smalley were held by the abbot of Chester as of the fee of Hugh, Earl of Chester; and Morley was afterwards held by a family who took their name from the place." 3

Some of the family were found at Wennington in Lancashire in ancient times. "William de Wennington was in possession of the estate, which about the 4th of Edward III. (1330) passed to the family of Morley, of Great and Little Morley, with whom it remained until 1673." 3

The township of Mearley in Lancashire played an important role in the family history. "The chief part of the township was granted by Jordan le Rous to Stephen, afterwards called de Merley, whose daughter married Adam de Nowell, and carried the Hall and manor into that family, 38th of Edward III." 3

Some of the family were found in Yorkshire as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Johannes de Morelay; Adam de Morlay; and Margeria de Morlay as all holding lands there at that time. 4

The Maulay variant has an interesting background. According to the Battell Abbey Roll, "the first who came to England was Peter de Maulay, a Poitevin, brought by King John, and distinctly accused by Ralph Niger and Henry Knighton of being the tool he employed for ridding himself of his nephew Arthur. Peter's reward was the heiress of Doncaster, Isabella de Turnham, who brought him the barony of Mulgrave. " 5

Early History of the Morley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morley research. Another 214 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1411, 1455, 1477, 1483, 1487, 1510, 1557, 1586, 1597, 1600, 1602, 1616, 1625, 1640, 1658, 1660, 1662, 1667 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Morley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morley Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Morley has undergone many spelling variations, including Morley, Mawley, Morely, Moorley, Maughley, Morleigh, Moorley and many more.

Early Notables of the Morley family

Distinguished members of the family include

Morley World Ranking

In the United States, the name Morley is the 3,082nd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 6 However, in Australia, the name Morley is ranked the 614th most popular surname with an estimated 6,377 people with that name. 7 And in New Zealand, the name Morley is the 851st popular surname with an estimated 860 people with that name. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Morley as 359th with 17,419 people. 9

Migration of the Morley family to Ireland

Some of the Morley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 101 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Morley migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Morley were among those contributors:

Morley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Morley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Morley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Morley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Morley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Morley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Morley migration to Australia +

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

Morley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Morley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Morley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Morley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 20
Morley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Morley (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Morley +
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