Filay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Filay family

The surname Filay was first found in Essex where the name was first referenced in the year 1245 when Richard was recorded as Fitz le Roy, essentially 'son of the King' and we may allude to the reference to be that of King John. However, there was an earlier family of Fitzroy who was the illegitimate son of King Henry I about 1140.

This tradition has remained in the family to this day. By example, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond (1519-1536), was the son of Henry VIII and Elizabeth Blount, a lady in waiting on Queen Catherine of Arragon. 1

The parish of Euston in Suffolk was home to another branch of the family. "Euston Hall, the seat of the Duke of Grafton, is a handsome mansion, with a park tastefully arranged, in which is the church, forming an interesting feature in the demesne. The church, a handsome edifice with a tower, was erected in the reign of Charles II., by Lord Henry Arlington, to whom there is a monument; it also contains several memorials to the Fitzroy family, whose place of sepulture it is, and some slabs with ancient brasses." 2

Early History of the Filay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Filay research. Another 223 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1617, 1650, 1663, 1665, 1683, 1684, 1690, 1716, 1720, 1724 and 1757 are included under the topic Early Filay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Filay Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Fillery, Filley, Fillary, Fildry, Filary, Filery, Filey, Fillie, Fildery, Filleigh, Fitzroy, Fitzroi and many more.

Early Notables of the Filay family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Filley (1617-?), English settler and founder of Windsor, Connecticut; Charlotte FitzRoy (1650-1684), one of the many acknowledged illegitimate children of King Charles II; Lieutenant-General George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC (1665-1716), the third and youngest illegitimate son of...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Filay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Filay migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, travelling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Filay or a variant listed above:

Filay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Filay, aged 36, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1845 3

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)