Contents [hide]

Langley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Langley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Langley first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Langley in five counties in ancient Britain. Literally, the place name means "long wood or clearing," from the Old English words "land" + "leah." The name has Saxon roots too as the oldest place we found was in Langley, Kent where it was listed as Longanleag in 814. The next earliest was in Wiltshire where Langelegh was listed in 940, both before the Norman Conquest in 1066. 1

Early Origins of the Langley family

The surname Langley was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Some of the first records of the name were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Thomas Langeleye in Oxford; Peter de Langlege in Wiltshire; and Ralph de Langleye in Kent. 2

Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire was home to another branch of the family since early times. "In the reign of Edward the Confessor, it formed part of the royal demesnes; and, after the Conquest, was granted by Henry I. to William, Earl Warren, with whose descendants it remained till the reign of Edward III., when, in default of issue male, it escheated to the crown, and was given by that monarch to his fifth son, Edmund de Langley, upon whom he conferred the title of Earl of Cambridge, and who, in the reign of Richard II., was for his important services created Duke of York." 3

Some of the family were found in the North Riding of Yorkshire at Wykeham. "Wykeham Abbey, the seat of the Hon. Marmaduke Langley, who is lord of the manor and chief owner of the soil, is a neat mansion, standing in a finely wooded park about a mile south of the village." 3

Langley Castle is a restored medieval tower house, now operated as an hotel, situated in the village of Langley in the valley of the River South Tyne, Northumberland. This castle was never held by the Langley family but is so named because of its proximity to the village. Langley Chapel is a 17th century Anglican parish church, located near Acton Burnell, Shropshire, England.

Early History of the Langley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Langley research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1341, 1363, 1386, 1402, 1404, 1437, 1548, 1576, 1595, 1596, 1602, 1611 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Langley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Langley Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Langley has appeared include Langley, Langlee, Langleigh and others.

Early Notables of the Langley family

Notables of the family at this time include

Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, 1st Earl of Cambridge, (1341-1402), a medival prince
Thomas Langley (c.1363-1437), an English prelate, Dean of York, Bishop of Durham, twice Lord Chancellor of England, the second longest serving Chancellor of the Middle Ages
Sir Robert Langley, appointed Dean of York in 1386, though his appointment was blocked by Pope Boniface IX
Charles Langley, Bishop of London and Archbishop of York in 1404
Francis Langley (1548-1602), English theatre builder and theatrical producer, instrumental in the building of the Swan Theatre in Southwark, (1595-1596)
Henry Langley (1611-1679), an English clergyman and academic, intruded Master of Pembroke College, Oxford

Langley World Ranking

In the United States, the name Langley is the 994^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 4 However, in New Zealand, the name Langley is ranked the 919^th most popular surname with an estimated 805 people with that name. 5 And in the United Kingdom, the name Langley is the 644^th popular surname with an estimated 10,163 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Langley family to Ireland

Some of the Langley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Langley migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Langley arrived in North America very early:

Langley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. Langley, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 7
Sara Langley, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 7
Sarah Langley, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1624 7
Sarah Langley, who settled in Virginia in 1633 with her husband
Richard Langley, who landed in Virginia in 1637 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Langley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Win Langley, who landed in Virginia in 1701 7
James Langley, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1710 7
Richard Langley, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 7
William Langley, who settled in Annapolis in 1722
Titus Langley, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Langley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Eliza Langley, aged 22, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 7
Michael Langley, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 7
Samuel Langley, who arrived in New York in 1822 7
David Langley, who settled in Barstable in 1822
Edward Langley, aged 50, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1851 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Langley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Langley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Langley, who arrived in Nava Scotia in 1749

Langley migration to Australia +

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

Langley Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. William Langley, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Langley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Langley, (b. 1785), aged 18, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Andrew Langley, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
William Langley, English convict from Suffolk, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Charles Langley, British convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 1st October 1829, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. David Langley, (Ottolangui), (b. 1812), aged 18, English stone mason who was convicted in Middlesex, England for lifefor felony, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1882 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Langley 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:

Langley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Peter Langley, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1841
Mr. Peter Langley, (b. 1817), aged 23, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Olympus" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th April 1841 14
Mr. A. Langley, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Queen Bee" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 10th January 1872 14
Mr. James Langley, (b. 1853), aged 21, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 15
Mrs. Elizabeth Langley, (b. 1854), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Dorette" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1874 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Langley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Langley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Catherine Langley, who settled in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Langley (post 1700) +

John Russell Langley (1943-2021), American television and film director, writer, and producer, best known as the creator and executive producer of the television show Cops, which premiered in March 1989
Phil Langley (1937-2020), American harness racing official, president of the United States Trotting Association (2003–2016)
John Arthur "Art" Langley (1896-1967), American silver medalist ice hockey player at the 1924 Winter Olympics
Elmo Harrell Langley (1928-1996), American NASCAR driver and owner
Scott Langley (b. 1989), American professional golfer
Samuel Pierpont Langley (1834-1906), American astronomer and aeronautics pioneer
Noel Langley (1911-1980), American motion picture screenwriter born in South Africa, probably best known for being one of the screenwriters for The Wizard of Oz
Edward D. W. Langley, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from New Hartford; Elected 1906 17
E. Edwin Langley (b. 1908), American politician, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, 1965 17
Dennis M. Langley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1984, 1996; Kansas Democratic State Chair, 1993-99 17
... (Another 37 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Langley family +

Empress of Ireland

Miss Mary Anne Langley (d. 1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18

Grover Shoe factory

Mr. Thomas F. Langley, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died 19

HMS Hood

Mr. James Langley (b. 1913), English Ordinary Coder serving for the Royal Navy from Whitwood, Yorkshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20

SS Caribou

Mr. F. A. Langley, British passenger who was Royal Air Force was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm