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The name Thurley was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Thurley family lived in the parish of Thorley in the union of Bishop-Stortford, hundred of Braughin, county of Hertford or at Thorley, a parish, in the liberty of West Medina, Isle of Wight division of the county of Southampton. 1 2 3
Both locales date back to the Domesday Book where they were listed as "Torlei" 4 They literally meant "thorn-tree wood or clearing," from the Old English "thorn" + "lea." 5
The surname Thurley was first found in Hertfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Thorley at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book Census in 1086, a census initiated by King William, Duke of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D. In 1086, Thorley consisted of a Mill and a village and was held by Rodhere from the Bishop of London who was the tenant in chief. Conjecturally, the Thorleys are descended from this Norman noble.
By the thirteenth century, the family had scattered throughout ancient Britain. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Robert de Torly in Sussex; and Thomas de Torlaye, or Thorlay, or Thorley in Lincolnshire. 6
John Thorley was one of the burgesses for Lincoln in the parliament of 1397. 7
In Norfolk, Adam de Thorle was listed there in 1337 and the same source notes Theobald de Thorlee, there temp. Henry V (during the reign of King Henry V.) 8
"Ernald de Torley, about the reign of Henry III., held half a fee in West Winch of Simon Fitz Richard, and he of the Earl of Clare." - Blomfield's Norfolk.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thurley research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1506, 1530, 1560, 1570, 1686 and 1753 are included under the topic Early Thurley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Thurley are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Thurley include Thorley, Thorleigh, Thawley, Thurley, Thurlby, Thurleigh and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Thirlby or Thirleby (1506?-1570), the first and only bishop of Westminster, and afterwards successively bishop of Norwich and Ely...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thurley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Thurley, or a variant listed above: