Hundslay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Hundslay is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the settlements of High Hunsley and Low Hunsley in the East Riding of Yorkshire. ^[1] The surname Hundslay belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Hundslay family

The surname Hundslay was first found in Yorkshire, at High Hunsley, a small hamlet in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The village dates back to the Domesday Book ^[2] where it was recorded as Hund(r)eslege and meant "woodland clearing of a man called Hund" ^[3] "This place appears to have been anciently of more importance than it is at present, many foundations of buildings having been dug up at various times. Upon a hill here, was a beacon that gave name to the largest division of the wapentake." ^[4]

Important Dates for the Hundslay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hundslay research. Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hundslay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hundslay Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hundslay family name include Hunsley, Hunsly, Hunley, Hunly, Hundsley, Hundsly and others.

Early Notables of the Hundslay family (pre 1700)

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

Migration of the Hundslay family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hundslay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Hunsley, who sailed to America in 1753.

Citations

1. ^ Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
2. ^ Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
3. ^ Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
4. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.