Bagly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Bagly surname lived in Cheshire, where they were held estates at Baggiley. The family name was originally derived from the name of this manorial seat. The word baggiley in ancient Saxon means high ground. These place names are generally thought to derive from an Old English personal name Bacga and the Old English word leah, meaning a clearing in the woods.

Early Origins of the Bagly family

The surname Bagly was first found in Shropshire at Bagley, a small rural village in the parish of Hordley. The earliest record of the place name was found in c.1090 when it was listed as Bageleia. 1

Bagley-Wood is a hamlet in the hundred of Hormer, in Berkshire. "A monastery was founded here by Cissa, viceroy of Centwine, ninth king of Wessex; which was removed to Abingdon in 680, that town and its appendages having been assigned to it by Ceadwalla. " 2

While the surname probably originated in Shropshire, we must look to Cheshire to find the earliest records. The family was Lords of the Manor of Baggiley and held a family seat there from ancient times. Baguley Hall near Manchester was built in the 14th century by Sir William de Baguley, or possibly by one of his sons. It may have replaced an 11th or 12th century structure. "[Baguley in Cheshire] was at an early period the property of the Baguleys, whose heiress brought it to the Leghs; the latter sold it." 2

Early History of the Bagly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bagly research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1220, 1260, 1327, 1379, 1382, 1654 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Bagly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bagly Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bagly are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bagly include: Bagley, Baggeley, Baggiley, Baggaley, Bageley, Baggelay, Bagly and many more.

Early Notables of the Bagly family

Distinguished members of the family include Alexander Baguley, B.A., rector of the church of St. Michael, Aughton, Lancashire in 1674, but was "very soon deprived for simony [(buying or selling of something spiritual)]." 3 Humphrey Baggerley (fl. 1654), was a Royalist...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bagly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bagly family to Ireland

Some of the Bagly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bagly migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bagly or a variant listed above:

Bagly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hen Bagly, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 4
James Bagly, who landed in Virginia in 1639 4
Thomas Bagly, who arrived in Virginia in 1641 4
Jon Bagly, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 4
Robert Bagly, who landed in Virginia in 1653 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)