Feltey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Feltey family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the area that was near a field. This surname is a topographic name and is derived from the Old English word feld, which literally means the pasture or open country. [1]

In this case, the bearer of the surname Feltey lived in an area of land that was cleared of forest.

Interestingly, "Field, or De la Felda embraces both English and Norman families. Richard de la Felda is mentioned in Normandy, temp John." [reign 1199-1216] [2] This duality of origin is indeed rare.

Early Origins of the Feltey family

The surname Feltey was first found in many shires and counties throughout Britain. Some of the earliest records show: Thomas atte Felde in the Writs of Parliament of 1301; William de la Felde in Gloucestershire during reign of King Edward I; and John de la Felde in Herefordshire at about the same time. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Linot ate [atte] Feld and William a la Feld in Oxfordshire. [3]

Robert de Felde was listed as a Templar in Gloucestershire in 1185 and Hugo de la Felde was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1188. John del Feld was listed in Suffolk in 1190 and James atte Felde was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. [4]

Early History of the Feltey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Feltey research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1407, 1407, 1620, 1676, 1520, 1587, 1542, 1520, 1530, 1558, 1560, 1609, 1577, 1561, 1616, 1561, 1579, 1624, 1592, 1574, 1636, 1519, 1588, 1574, 1587, 1633, 1587, 1583, 1554, 1606, 1582, 1599, 1640, 1546, 1625, 1546, 1549, 1782 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Feltey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Feltey Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Feltey include Field, Feild, Felde and others.

Early Notables of the Feltey family (pre 1700)

Distinguished members of the family include Roger Felde (fl. 1407), of Hereford, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Hereford in 1407; Sir James Field of West Harrow; and Edmund Feilde (Field) (1620-1676), an English barrister and politician, son of Thomas Feilde, rector of St Andrew's, Hertford. John Field or Feild (1520-1587), 'Proto-Copernican' of England, son of Richard Field (d. 1542), was born, as is supposed, at Ardsley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, between 1520 and 1530. "He lived in London at the date of his first ‘Ephemeris,’ and appears, from a remark in a manuscript in the Lambeth Library...
Another 290 words (21 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Feltey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Feltey family to Ireland

Some of the Feltey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 232 words (17 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 Feltey family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Feltey or a variant listed above: Zacharia Field from Hadleigh in Suffolk settled in Hartford Connecticut in 1639; Robert Field of Yorkshire settled in Flushing, Long Island in 1645; Daniel Field settled in Virginia in 1637.

Citations +

Hargrave, Basil, Origins and Meanings of Popular Phrases & Names. London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd, Cobham House, 24 and 26 Black Friars Lane, 1949. Print
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)