The Henly name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in one of the settlements called Henley in Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, and Warwickshire. The oldest of the parishes is found in Somerset where it was known as Henleighe in 973. The place names literally mean "high wood or clearing" [1] with the exception of the Shropshire parish which means "one frequented by wild birds." [2]
The surname Henly was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat from ancient times as Lords of the Manor of Henley, the main line of the family producing the Barons Henley, the Earls of Northington, the Barons Ongley and many other knightly branches.
John de Heneleghe was registered as holding lands in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) [3]
Gilbert de Henlega was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Worcester in 1181; Robert de Henlay in Yorkshire in 1270; and William Heneley in Northumberland in 1392. [4]
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Philipp de Heneley, Salop (Shropshire); and John de Heneleye, Warwickshire as holding lands in their respective shires. [5]
Walter de Henley ( fl. 1250), was a writer on agriculture, "is stated to have been a 'Chivaler,' and afterwards to have become a Dominican friar. Henley's original text has clearly been much garbled and interpolated in the extant manuscripts; the early text is said to be best represented in two manuscripts in the Cambridge University Library. They appear to date from the time of Edward I or Edward II." [6]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Henly research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1612, 1696, 1653, 1711, 1679, 1692, 1756, 1692, 1708 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Henly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Henly has undergone many spelling variations, including Henley, Henlee, Henleigh, Henlie, Henly, Hendleigh, Hendley, Hendlie, Hendlee, Henelly and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include William Ernest Henley, the poet; and Henry Henley (1612-1696), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1653.
Anthony Henley (d. 1711), wit and politician, the son of Sir Robert Henley of the Grange, near Arlesford, Hampshire, M.P. for Andover in 1679, who married Barbara, daughter of Sir Edward Hungerford. Sir Robert Henley, Master of the Court of King's Bench, on the pleas side, a place then worth 4,000l. a year, was his grandfather. Out of the profits of this...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Henly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Henly 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.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Henly were among those contributors: