Chomly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Today's generation of the Chomly family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Chomly family lived in the township of Cholmondley in the parish of Malpas in Cheshire. The name is traditionally pronounced Chumley. 1

Early Origins of the Chomly family

The surname Chomly was first found in Cheshire at Cholmondeley, a civil parish and village where they were "descended from the Barons of Malpas, and directly from Robert de Cholmondelegh, second son of William Belward, lord of a moiety of the Barony of Malpas, and younger brother of David the ancestor of the Egertons; which Robert was seated at Cholmondeley in the reign of King John." 2

Another source concurs with this origin but offers more details and different spellings (as is typically the case): "Robert, son of Hugh, Baron of Malpas, is stated in Domesday Book to have held the Lordship of Calmundelei; and there is no doubt that the entry on the Battle Abbey Roll refers to him. He had no son, but was succeeded in his broad lands by his only daughter Lettice, the wife of Richard de Belward. The son or grandson of this alliance, William de Belward, Baron of Malpas, married Beatrix, daughter of Hugh Keveliok, fifth Earl of Chester, and had three sons - 1, David de Malpas, ancestor of the Egertons; 2, Robert, who assumed the appellation of Cholmondeley, and was progenitor of the various families of the name, seated in Cheshire, Yorkshire, &c.; and 3, Peter, whose posterity, under the name of Clerk, was settled at Thornton, and became extinct temp. Edward III." 3

The regal Cholmondeley Castle is now a country house located there with majestic formal gardens. The house has been a seat of the Cholmondeley family since the 12th century.

The parish of Delemere in Cheshire was home to a distinguished branch of the family. "On its inclosure it gave the title of Baron Delamere, of Vale Royal, to Thomas Cholmondeley, Esq., the proprietor of the ancient possessions of the Cistercian monks of Vale Royal, whose sumptuous abbey, completed in 1330 by Edward III., at a cost of £32,000, was dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Nicholas, and St. Nichasius, and in the 26th of Henry VIII." 4

"The manor [of Chorley, Cheshire] was possessed by the Harcourt family in the reign of Edward II., when the two coheiresses of Robert Harcourt married into the Cholmondeley family. Isabel brought a moiety to Hugh Cholmondeley, whose daughter and heiress married Roger Bromley, of Basford; after continuing in the Bromley family for several descents, it was purchased, in 1561, by the Cholmondeleys of Cholmondeley, ancestors of the present Marquess of Cholmondeley. The other moiety passed with Maud to the ancestor of the Cholmondeleys of Chorley, and came to the marques's family by purchase, in the reign of Henry VI. " 4

Early History of the Chomly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chomly research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1460, 1521, 1552, 1553, 1584, 1600, 1609, 1624, 1628, 1629, 1632, 1640, 1641, 1643, 1645, 1657, 1659, 1662, 1666, 1681, 1689 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Chomly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chomly Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Chomly include Chumley, Cholmondeley, Chamandy, Cholemley, Cholmeley, Cholmle, Cholmley and many more.

Early Notables of the Chomly family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Cholmondeley (1460-1521), English farmer and soldier, who served as Lieutenant of the Tower of London; Robert Cholmondeley (1584-1659), created 1st Viscount Cholmondeley in 1628 and became 1st Earl of Leinster (Ireland) and Baron Cholmondeley (England) in 1645, Chief Justice of England in 1552-1553; Sir Hugh Cholmeley (Cholmley) (1600-1657) 1st Baronet, an English landowner, Member of Parliament for Scarborough (1624-1629) and (1640-1643), initially a Parliamentarian but...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Chomly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chomly family to Ireland

Some of the Chomly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Chomly family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Chomlys to arrive on North American shores: Margaret Cholmondely who settled in New England in 1705; Joab Cholmley settled in Jamaica in 1684; Robert Cholmle settled in Virginia in 1623.

The Chomly 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: Cassis tutissima virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue is the safest helmet.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.