The surname Floyer was first found in Devon where they held a family seat "at Floyer-Hayes, in the parish of St. Thomas in that county, soon after the Norman Conquest." [1] The estate remained in the family until the latter part of the 17th century.
"Burke says, that the pedigree of the Floyers of co. Dorset is 'authentically deduced from Floierus, who settled soon after the Norman Conquest on the lands beyond the river Exe, co. Devon, whence the name of Floiers-Landa and Floiers-Hayes.' " [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Floyer research. Another 201 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1600, 1080, 1091, 1399, 1567, 1685, 1701, 1815, 1455, 1487, 1649, 1734, 1664, 1668, 1671, 1674, 1680, 1686 and 1686 are included under the topic Early Floyer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Floyer include Floyer, Floyar, Fleyer, Fleyar, Floier, Flyer and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include Sir John Floyer (1649-1734), English physician and writer of Hints Hall, Staffordshire, a since demolished country house. He was the son of Richard Floyer of Hintes, Staffordshire. "He entered as commoner of Queen's College, Oxford, at the beginning of 1664, being then fifteen years of age. He was B.A. 16 April 1668, M.A. 1671, B.M. 27 June 1674, B.M...
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Floyer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Floyer were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: J. Flayer, aged 42, who arrived in America in 1924.