Hartly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The present generation of the Hartly family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the village of Hartley which was in several English counties including Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Kent, Lancashire, York and Northumberland. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English words hart which means a stag and lea which means a wood or clearing. 1

Of all these places, Hartley in Kent in the oldest as it dates back to Saxon times when it was known as Heoratleag in 843. 2 Another source claims this parish dates back further as "Heortleáh in the 8th century." 3

Early Origins of the Hartly family

The surname Hartly was first found in Yorkshire where "Hartley is a very common West Riding name. It is also established in Lancashire. There are hamlets and townships of the name in the West Riding, Westmorland, Northumberland." 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Ricardus de Hertlay; and Willelmus de Hertelay. They "lived in the parish of Ecclesfield, West Riding of Yorkshire The surname has ramified in an extraordinary manner in the West Riding. The parentage in all probability will have to be sought for in Ecclesfield parish or the immediate neighbourhood." 5

But before these entries, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Brian de Hertheley, Lincolnshire; and Richard de Hertleye, Salop (Shropshire.) 5

Up to the north in Scotland, the name is from "Hartley (Hartecla 1265, Hartcla 1291, Hartla 1306) a manor in the parish of Kirkby-Stephen, Westmorland. Michael de Hardcla or Hartcla was deputy sheriff of Westmorland in 1276 and 1277, and Sheriff of Cumberland in part of the year 1285 and then until 1298. On the execution of his brother Andrew de Hardcla, earl of Carlisle, for treason, he fled into Scotland with a number of his friends." 6

Early History of the Hartly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hartly research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1191, 1273, 1327, 1379, 1621, 1623, 1691, 1695, 1698, 1705, 1709, 1720, 1757 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Hartly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hartly Spelling Variations

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 Hartly include Hartley, Hartly, Hartlay, Hartlaye, Hartlie, Hertley, Hertly, Hertlay, Hertelay, Hertheley, Hertleye, Hertlegh, Hartleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Hartly family

Notables of this surname at this time include: David Hartley (1705-1757), English philosopher, "baptised at Luddenden, Halifax, on 21 June 1705, although his son gives this date of his birth as 30 Aug. 1705. His father, David Hartley, was entered as a servitor of Lincoln College, Oxford, on 1 April 1691, aged 17, where he was described as 'pauperis filius,'...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hartly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hartly family to Ireland

Some of the Hartly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hartly migration to the United States +

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 Hartly were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Hartly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elia Hartly, who landed in Virginia in 1655 7
Tho Hartly, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 7
Elizabeth Hartly, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 7
Thomas Hartly, who landed in Maryland in 1678 7

Hartly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hartly Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Hartly, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)