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The name Vyllis came to England with the ancestors of the Vyllis family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Vyllis family lived in Berkshire. Their name is derived from the Old English word welle, meaning well, and indicates the original bearer's residence near such a facility.
The surname Vyllis was first found in Berkshire where they held a family seat at Hungerford Park, a baronetcy granted by King Charles I. They are believed to be descended from Baron Welles, the Duke of Somerset, and the grandmother of Henry VII, a Norman Baron from Welles in Normandy who was granted Rockingham Castle but was beheaded. Not all of the family emigrated to England as Hugh and Robert de Wellis were listed in Normandy in 1198. Effric de Welles held the fief or Wellis, Normandy in 1180. 1
Johannes Willeson was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 2 and Walter filius Wille held lands in Dumfries in 1214. 3 Walter Willys was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327 and Roger Wyllys was found in Kent in 1438. Years later, Richard Willys was listed in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1517. 4
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vyllis research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1207, 1214, 1279, 1576, 1590, 1614, 1621, 1642, 1643, 1645, 1656, 1659, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1666, 1675, 1690, 1701, 1734 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Vyllis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Willis, Wilis and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Willis (1576-1656), a member of the English landed gentry and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery at the outbreak of the English Civil War, owing to which he suffered the loss of his position and some of his estates; George Wyllys or Wyllis (1590-1645), born at the manor of Fenny Compton in Warwickshire, an English-born, early American politician who served as the 4th Governor of the Connecticut Colony (1642-1643); Thomas Willis (1621-1675), an English doctor who played an important part...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vyllis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Vyllis or a variant listed above: William Willis settled in Quidividi, Newfoundland, in 1703; Josiah Willis settled in Kiers Cove, Labrador, in 1766; Anne Willis settled in Virginia in 1620.