The ancestors of the name Heatherly date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Heatherly family lived in the village of Adderley in Shropshire; the village was known as "Eldredelei" in the Domesday Book and was held by Nigel the Doctor. [1]
The surname Heatherly was first found in Shropshire at Adderley, a village and civil parish that literally means "woodland clearing of a woman called Athryth," from the Old English personal name + "leah." [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heatherly research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 163 and 1637 are included under the topic Early Heatherly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Heatherly are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Heatherly include: Adderley, Adderly, Addly, Adley, Aderly, Atherly, Atherley, Hadderley and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Heatherly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Heatherly or a variant listed above: