Cailey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Cailey arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Cailey family lived in Norfolk, where they were Lords of the Castle of Cailly. The name was originally from 'de Cailli,' from Cailli, an arrondissement of Rouen. 1 "Hugh de Cailly, lord of Orby, Norfolk, was head of the family whence sprang the barony." 2

Another source believes that the name was from "the French town, Calais, possessed by the English from temp. Edward II. to Queen Mary." 3

Early Origins of the Cailey family

The surname Cailey was first found in Norfolk where one of the first records of the name was William de Kailli, de Caly who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1210. Alternatively the name Caley, is a fairly common Manx name. 4

There are very few early records of the name but researchers did manage to find two records in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Osbert de Caly, Norfolk; and Hugh de Caly, Norfolk. 2

"The Calleys of Wilts deduce from Norfolk. I find no locality so denominated, and the family may possibly spring from the Scottish M'Caulays." 3

The plural from of the name was popular too in the early years. The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III listed "John de Caleys, Jersey, 20 Edward I" (during the twentieth year's reign of Edward I.) The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Henricus de Calays; and Robertas Calas. 2

Early History of the Cailey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cailey research. Another 189 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1576, 1602, 1603, 1610, 1634, 1635, 1640, 1654, 1661, 1663, 1667, 1681, 1708, 1709, 1717, 1727 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Cailey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cailey 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 Cailly, Calley, Callis, Cally, Caley, Cayley and many more.

Early Notables of the Cailey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Cawley (1602-1667), British politician, MP for Midhurst in 1640 and regicide who fled to the Netherlands and then Switzerland after the Restoration. He was the eldest son of John Cawley, a brewer of Chichester, who was three times mayor. His son, John Cawley, was Archdeacon of Lincoln 1667-1709. 5Sir William Cayley, was 2nd Baronet (1635-c. 1708); Sir Arthur Cayley, 3rd Baronet (c. 1654-1727); and John Calley (1663-1717), was...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cailey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cailey 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 Cailey name or one of its variants:

Cailey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Cailey, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1812 6

The Cailey 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: Callide et honeste
Motto Translation: Wisely and honourably.

Citations +

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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)