Wheatley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 


Wheatley is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wheatley family lived in Somerset, at the village of Whatley. Whateley Hall was a stately home in the Warwickshire countryside near Castle Bromwich. Built in the 18th century, the hall and the estate was demolished in the 1930s and the land was sold to build houses.

Early Origins of the Wheatley family

The surname Wheatley was first found in Somerset in the village and manor of Whatley near Frome, where they are conjecturally believed to be descended from the possessor of those lands, at the taking of the Domesday Survey in 1086, John the Usher, from Glastonbury Abbey. The Wheatley variant can be found throughout England, specifically: Wheatley, Oxfordshire; Wheatley Lane in Lancashire; and North and South Wheatley in Nottinghamshire. The two latter villages are listed in the Domesday Book as Watelei and Wateleie. 1 Literally, Wheately means "clearing where wheat is grown," from the Old English "hwaete" + "leah." 2

Some believe that Anne Whateley was William Shakespeare's first betrothed; whether she even existed is much in debate. A William Shakspeare and Anne Whateley do appear on the same line in a note in the Episcopal register at Worcester, but some claim that there were numerous William Shakespeares in that area at that time and was obviously another person. Others believe that entry was a clerical error. The debate continues.

Early History of the Wheatley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wheatley research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1582, 1583, 1639, 1686, 1742, 1747, 1753, 1768, 1784 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Wheatley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wheatley Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Whatley, Whatly, Whately, Wheatley, Whetly, Whettell and many more.

Early Notables of the Wheatley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Wheatley World Ranking

In the United States, the name Wheatley is the 2,328th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Wheatley is ranked the 866th most popular surname with an estimated 4,581 people with that name. 4 And in the United Kingdom, the name Wheatley is the 676th popular surname with an estimated 9,740 people with that name. 5


Wheatley migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Wheatley name or one of its variants:

Wheatley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Wheatley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Wheatley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wheatley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wheatley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Wheatley migration to Australia +

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

Wheatley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Wheatley 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:

Wheatley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Wheatley 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. 12
Wheatley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Wheatley (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Wheatley +
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