Show ContentsFeatley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Featley family

The surname Featley was first found in Lancashire, where Simon de ffairclogh (note the double "f" and the lower case last name) was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1332. The name literally means 'dweller in the fair hollow' from the Middle English (clo(u)gh). 1

Unfortunately, from this early reference, we must move the 16th century to find the next. "Fairclough has long been, and is still a Liverpool name. Thomas Fayerclough was mayor of Liverpool in 1544. There was a gentle family of Fairclough of Fairclough Hall, Herts, in the 17th century." 2 William Fayercliffe and Robert Fayredought were both listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1568. Later, John Fayercloth was also listed in Suffolk in 1629. 1

The Wills at Chester listed John Fairelough of Upholland in 1583. 3

Interestingly, the Featley variant arose from Daniel Fairclough (1582-1645) who changed his name for unknown reasons and was the progenitor of that branch of the family. 4

Early History of the Featley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Featley research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1582, 1594, 1605, 1621, 1625, 1645, 1662, 1666, 1677, 1682, 1691 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Featley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Featley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fairclough, Faircloth, Faircliff, Faircluff and many more.

Early Notables of the Featley family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Samuel Fairclough (1594-1677), an English nonconformist divine from Haverhill, Suffolk. He was the youngest of the four sons of Lawrence Fairclough, vicar of Haverhill, by his wife Mary, daughter of John Cole of that town. His second son, Samuel Fairclough...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Featley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Featley migration to Australia +

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

Featley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Featley, (b. 1808), aged 18, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent


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