Fatherley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

The name Fatherley is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in the village of Adderley in Shropshire; the village was known as "Eldredelei" in the Domesday Book and was held by Nigel the Doctor. ^[1]

Early Origins of the Fatherley family

The surname Fatherley was first found in Shropshire at Adderley, a village and civil parish that literally means "woodland clearing of a woman called Athryth," from the Old English personal name + "leah." ^[2]

Important Dates for the Fatherley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fatherley research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 163 and 1637 are included under the topic Early Fatherley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fatherley 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 Fatherley 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. 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. The variations of the name Fatherley include: Adderley, Adderly, Addly, Adley, Aderly, Atherly, Atherley, Hadderley and many more.

Early Notables of the Fatherley family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Fatherley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fatherley family

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 Fatherley or a variant listed above: John Adderley who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1734; Edward Adderly settled in Philadelphia in 1760; Susanna Atherley settled in Virginia in 1768.

Citations

1. ^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
2. ^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)