Graveley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Graveley was first found in Hertfordshire 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 the lands of Graveley which were held by five Norman nobles, the Bishop of Bayeux, Robert Gernon, William d'Eu, Gosbert de Beauvais and Peter de Valognes who were recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Their under-tenants were Peter, Adam and Godfrey. There is now a 17th century farmhouse on the site.