Show ContentsBayley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bayley is one of the names that was brought to England in the wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a person who held the civil office of the same name in Normandy. The title 'Le Bailli' was approximately equal to that of Viscount or sheriff. 1 There was also a place named Bailleul-En-Vimeu which is about six miles south of Abbeyville in the Somme, Normandy from which some instances of the surname may have evolved. The name Bayley is also an occupational name for a steward or official, deriving from "baiulivus" in Late Latin. In Scotland the word bailie, rather than bailiff is still used as the title for an officer in the courts.

Early Origins of the Bayley family

The surname Bayley was first found in Northumberland. However, there is still great controversy over the earliest origins of the name. There was great popular belief that the name was changed from Balliol, due to the unpopularity of the two Scottish Kings of that name. However, many historians, such as Bain, find no evidence for such a change, and cite very early instances of the name Baillie, such as William de Bailli, who appeared as a juror on an inquest concerning forfeited lands in Lothian around 1311-12. 2

Early records of the Baillie Clan indicate that the aforementioned William de Bailli was also known as Baillie of Hoperig, who acquired the lands of Lamington in Lanarkshire. His son William was granted a charter confirming ownership of these same lands in 1358. Alexander, the eldest grandson of William and two brothers fled the country after they had beaten and killed their tutor. After serving in the army, Alexander received the lands of Dunain and Dochfour, and was appointed the Constable of Inverness. Another brother of Alexander's married a daughter of Sir Patrick Hume's in 1492, and from this union descended the Baillies of Jerviswood.

Early History of the Bayley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bayley research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1292, 1296, 1308, 1332, 1338, 1585, 1587, 1589, 1610, 1611, 1630, 1632, 1634, 1644, 1648, 1657, 1664, 1667, 1671, 1684, 1691, 1701, 1719, 1720, 1721, 1738, 1740, 1741, 1744, 1749, 1764, 1872 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bayley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bayley Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bayley 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 Bayley include Baillie, Bailey, Bailie, Bayly, Bayley, Bailley, Baly, Ballye, Bayllie and many more.

Early Notables of the Bayley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • John Bayley (died 1611), an English politician, Mayor of Salisbury in 1587, Member of the Parliament for Salisbury in 1589

Ireland Migration of the Bayley family to Ireland

Some of the Bayley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 174 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bayley migration to the United States +

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 Bayley, or a variant listed above:

Bayley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Bayley, who arrived in Jamestown Va in 1607 3
  • William Bayley, aged 41, who arrived in Virginia in 1610 3
  • Ann Bayley, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 3
  • George Bayley, who landed in Virginia in 1623 3
  • Jonas Bayley, who landed in Virginia in 1623 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bayley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Chr Bayley, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
  • Anne Bayley, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 3
  • Isaac Bayley, who landed in Virginia in 1706 3
  • Joseph Bayley, who landed in Virginia in 1711 3
  • Henry Bayley, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bayley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William P Bayley, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1813 3
  • Mike Bayley, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1858 3
  • Ceferino Bayley, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1874 3

Canada Bayley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bayley Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • John Bayley, who arrived in Barrow Harbour, Newfoundland in 1676 4

Australia Bayley migration to Australia +

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

Bayley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Bayley, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on April 1st, 1822, settling in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. Henry Bayley, (b. 1807), aged 20, English labourer who was convicted in London, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1839 6
  • Mr. William Bayley, (b. 1816), aged 18, Irish labourer who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 27th July 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. George Bayley, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Mr. James Bayley, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Bardaster" on 7th September 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Bayley 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:

Bayley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Bayley, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Amelia Thompson
  • Mrs. Sarah Bayley, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 9
  • Mr. Thomas Bayley, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 9
  • Mr. G. Bayley, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 9
  • Mrs. Bayley, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th March 1858 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bayley (post 1700) +

  • Elizabeth Ann Bayley (1774-1821), birth name of Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton, S.C., the first native-born citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church
  • James Roosevelt Bayley (1814-1877), American prelate of the Catholic Church, first Bishop of Newark (1853–1872), 8th Archbishop of Baltimore (1872–1877)
  • Thomas Butterworth Bayley (1744-1802), English agriculturist and philanthropist, descended from an old Lancashire family of good position, one of the founders of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester 10
  • Peter Charles Bayley (1921-2015), English fellow at University College, Oxford, England
  • John Oliver Bayley CBE, FBA, FRSL (1925-2015), British literary critic and writer, Warton Professor of English at the University of Oxford from 1974 to 1992
  • Sir John Bayley (1763-1841), 1st Baronet, an English Justice of the King's Bench
  • John Bayley (1794-1874), English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1822 to 1850
  • Sir John Edward George Bayley (1793-1871), 2nd Baronet, an English Baronet and amateur cricketer
  • John Whitcomb Bayley (b. 1869), English antiquary
  • Barrington J. Bayley (1937-2008), English science fiction writer from Birmingham
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Bayley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ubi bene ibi patria
Motto Translation: One's country is where one is well.


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. 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)
  4. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  5. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 190 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1822
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bardaster
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 6 June 2019


Houseofnames.com on Facebook