Show ContentsHonely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Honely family

The surname Honely was first found in Buckinghamshire at Olney, a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes. The place dates back to 979 where it was listed as Ollanege. By the time of the Domesday Book, the place name had evolved to Olnei 1 which meant "island, or dry ground in a marsh, of a man called Olla," derived from the Old English personal name + eg. 2

On November 4th, 1643, Olney was the site of the Battle of Olney Bridge, a skirmish in the First English Civil War. The town has a long history as a lace-making centre, but is best known as the place where the Olney Hymns were written.

John Newton (1725-1807), author of the hymn Amazing Grace was curate of Olney. Some of the family were found in Weston-Underwood in early times. "The church [of Weston-Underwood] is a neat structure, built by Sir John Olney in the 14th century." 3

Early History of the Honely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Honely research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1272, 1600, 1635, 1647, 1682, 1697, 1698, 1703, 1704, 1726, 1729, 1747, 1771, 1785, 1800, 1802, 1803, 1814 and 1877 are included under the topic Early Honely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Honely Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Olney, Onley, Oneley, Ongley and others.

Early Notables of the Honely family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Olney (ca. 1600-1682), English settler to America in 1635 aboard the ship "planter," an early minister at the First Baptist Church in America and co-founder of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.Sir Samuel Ongley (1647-1726), of Old Warden, Bedfordshire and Mincing Lane, London, was an English politician. Born in Maidstone, Kent, he became a London merchant. In 1698 he purchased the Old Warden Estate from Paulet St John, Earl of Bolingbroke. He was High Sheriff of Bedfordshire (1703-1704.) Samuel Ongley (1697-1747), of Old Warden, Bedfordshire, was...
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Honely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Honely family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Thomas and Marie Olney, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1635; Thomas and Epenetus Olney settled in Rhode Island in 1720.



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


Houseofnames.com on Facebook