Florey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Florey family

The surname Florey was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of lands in that shire.

Early History of the Florey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Florey research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1285 and 1402 are included under the topic Early Florey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Florey Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Florey family name include Florey, Flory, Flurry, Flury, Flurrie, Fleury and others.

Early Notables of the Florey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Florey of Somerset

Florey migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Florey family to immigrate North America:

Florey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Eleanor Florey, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 2

Florey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Florey, who settled in Annapolis, Maryland in 1721

Florey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Florey, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1832

Florey 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:

Florey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry R. Florey, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
Elizabeth A. Florey, aged 30, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
Henry John Florey, aged 11, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875
F. Edwin Florey, aged 1, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Florey (post 1700) +

Red Florey, American Jazz musician who played the tenor sax, became a bandleader and arranger
Howard Walter Florey OM FRS (1898-1968), Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945
Robert Florey (1900-1979), French movie director and writer

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)