Heelis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Heelis

What does the name Heelis mean?

The name Heelis first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived as inhabitants in a house on a hill.

Early Origins of the Heelis family

The surname Heelis was first found in Buckinghamshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Heelis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heelis research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1173, 1442, 1514 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Heelis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heelis Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Heelis has appeared include Hillis, Hillas, Hillers, Hillhouse, Hillus, Hallis and many more.

Early Notables of the Heelis family

More information is included under the topic Early Heelis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Heelis family to Ireland

Some of the Heelis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heelis migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 1

Heelis Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. George Heelis, (b. 1616), aged 19, British settler traveling aboard the ship "John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 2

Sources +

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/daphne