The ancestors of the Boley family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Lincolnshire and various other areas throughout Britain. The name of this family, however, does not refer to these areas, but to the French Channel port of "Boulogne."
The surname Boley was first found in various counties throughout Britain. The earliest listing of the name appears to be Gilebert de Bollon who was listed in Northumberland in 1168. [1]
Over one hundred years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Pharamund de Boloynne in Buckinghamshire; Richard de Boloyne in Somerset; John de Boloyne in Cambridge; and Thomas Boloyne in Essex. [2] Interestingly, the rolls also listed Simon, Count of 'Buloyne' as residing in Oxford. In the reference "History of Norfolk," Simon de Boleyn was listed about the same time. [3]
Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-1536), Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King Henry VIII, claimed descendancy from Geoffrey Boleyn (d. 1440), a yeoman of Salle, Norfolk.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boley research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1406, 1463, 1440, 1451, 1505, 1501, 1507, 1536, 1533, 1536, 1480, 1538, 1504, 1536, 1499, 1543, 1477, 1539, 1603, 1576, 1550, 1554, 1454 and 1539 are included under the topic Early Boley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Bullen, Bulen, Bullan, Bulloyne, Bouleyne, Bulleyn and many more.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Geoffrey Boleyn (1406-1463), Lord Mayor of London, son of Geoffrey Boleyn (d. 1440) yeoman of Salle, Norfolk; Sir William Boleyn (1451-1505), the son of Sir Geoffrey Boleyn, a wealthy mercer and Lord Mayor of London; Admiral Sir Charles Bullen; Anne Boleyn (c.1501 or 1507-1536), Queen of England (1533-1536), 1st Marquess of Pembroke, second wife of King Henry VIII; Elizabeth Boleyn (1480-1538), Countess of Wiltshire, mother of Anne Boleyn; George Boleyn (1504-1536), Viscount Rochford, brother of Anne, executed with her for incest, adultery and treason; Mary Boleyn (c.1499-1543), Anne's sister and a long-term...
Another 156 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Boley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Boley is the 9,057th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]
Some of the Boley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Boley or a variant listed above: