Hennelly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Hennelly comes from the family having resided 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

Early Origins of the Hennelly family

The surname Hennelly 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

Early History of the Hennelly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hennelly research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1613, 1653, 1679, 1692, 1696, 1708, 1711, 1756 and 1772 are included under the topic Early Hennelly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hennelly Spelling Variations

Hennelly has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Henley, Henlee, Henleigh, Henlie, Henly, Hendleigh, Hendley, Hendlie, Hendlee, Henelly and many more.

Early Notables of the Hennelly family

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 Hennelly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hennelly family to Ireland

Some of the Hennelly 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.

Hennelly migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Hennellys to arrive on North American shores:

Hennelly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Andrew Hennelly, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1812 7

Hennelly migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hennelly Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Mary Hennelly, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Araminta" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle In June 1847 8

Hennelly migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hennelly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick Hennelly, (b. 1832), aged 28, Irish farm labourer from Galway travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 9
Mrs. Mary Hennelly, (b. 1834), aged 26, Irish settler from Galway travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 9
Mr. Patrick Hennelly, Jr., (b. 1859), aged 1, Irish settler from Galway travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "William Miles" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st August 1860 9
Mr. Denis Hennelly, (b. 1851), aged 10, Irish settler, from Galway travelling from London aboard the ship "Royal Stuart" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th October 1861 9
Miss Catherine Hennelly, (b. 1837), aged 30, British dressmaker travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 3rd January 1868 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Hennelly (post 1700) +

Kevin Hennelly, American screenwriter for the film The Mad
Denis Henry Hennelly, American co-producer of the film Beef and director of the film Bold Native
Edward J. Hennelly, American Republican politician, Chair of Aiken County Republican Party, 1972-73 11
Seosaimhin Hennelly, Irish actress, known for My Sister's Bones, My Fault: London and Casualty (1986)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 33)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html