Show ContentsHadle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hadle is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in Hadleigh or Hadley, a place-name found in numerous locations in England. The root of these names is common, however; they are all derived from the Old English roots hæth and leah, which taken together mean "forest clearing where the heather grows." 1

Early Origins of the Hadle family

The surname Hadle was first found in Essex at Hadleigh, a parish, in the union and hundred of Rochford. 2

Over in Suffolk, Hadleigh was a market-town and parish, in the union and hundred of Cosford. "This town, which was probably founded during the heptarchy, about which period a monastery is said to have been established by one of the Saxon kings, was called by the Anglo-Saxons Headlege, whence it derived its modern name. Some of the kings of East Anglia were interred here; as also was Guthrum, or Gormo, a Danish chief, who submitted to Alfred the Great, and renounced paganism after the defeat of the Danes at the battle of Ethandune, now Eddington, in the county of Wilts: a tomb is still shown in the church as the monument of Guthrum (who died in 889)" 2

"In Essex and Suffolk I find two parishes of Hadleigh, and in Middlesex a parish Hadley." 3 Another source notes: "Hædleáh in an Anglo-Saxon will of the 10th century." 4

The first record of the family was indeed found in Suffolk. Matilda de Hadlega was listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1194. Warin de Hadlai was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1212 and John Hadley was listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1390. 5

Early History of the Hadle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hadle research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1194, 1379, 1682, 1685, 1691, 1730, 1731, 1744, 1749, 1753, 1756, 1760, 1763, 1764, 1768, 1771 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Hadle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hadle Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Hadle has been spelled many different ways, including Hadley, Hadleigh and others.

Early Notables of the Hadle family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • George Hadley (1685-1768), an English lawyer and amateur meteorologist, eponym of the Hadley cell and The Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change
  • John Hadley (1682-1744), was an English mathematician, inventor of the octant and precursor to the sextant around 1730. Mons Hadley and Rima Hadley on the Moon are named after him. He was the son of G...
  • John Hadley MD (1731-1764), the Professor of chemistry at Cambridge, eldest son of Henry Hadley (brother of John Hadley, mathematician [q. v.]) and Ann Hoffman (?), was born in London in 1731, and ent...
  • George Hadley (d. 1798), the English Orientalist, was appointed a cadet in the East India Company's service in 1763, and gained his first commission on the Bengal establishment on 19 June of that year...

Migration of the Hadle family

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Hadles to arrive in North America: George Hadley settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630; David and John Hadley settled in Virginia in 1772; Martha Hadley arrived in Maryland in 1736; Mrs. R. Hadley arrived in San Francisco with her child in 1860..



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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