Keithly History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe Anglo-Saxon name Keithly comes from when the family resided in the settlement of Keighley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 2 The surname Keithly 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 Keithly familyThe surname Keithly was first found in Yorkshire at Keighley, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the E. division of the wapentake of Staincliffe and Ewcross. 3 The first listing of the place name was Chichelai in the Domesday Book of 1086. 4 "This place, anciently Kyghelay, was for many generations the property of the Kyghelay family, who either gave their name to, or derived it from, the manor; and of whom Gilbertus Kyghelay, of Utley, was buried here in 1203, according to an inscription on a stone still remaining in the parish church. In the reign of Edward I. Henry de Kyghelay, a member of the family, obtained the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair, with privilege of free warren for the inhabitants." 3 The first on record was found in the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. : Henry Kighele, Lancashire, I Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5 Henry de Kythelay was also found in Yorkshire in the 14th century. 6 Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes de Kyghelay as holding lands there at that time. 7 A well-educated family, the Register of the University of Oxford had two early entries for the family: John Kighlye, Lincolnshire, 1576: and Philip Kyghley, or Kygleye, Worcestershire, 1583. Early History of the Keithly familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keithly research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1186, 1580, 1620, 1621, 1643, 1648, 1650, 1651, 1662, 1663, 1686, 1692, 1719, 1789, 1803, 1824 and 1872 are included under the topic Early Keithly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Keithly Spelling VariationsThe English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Keithly has been recorded under many different variations, including Keightley, Keighley, Keitley, Keightly and others. Early Notables of the Keithly familyDistinguished members of the family include Thomas Keightley (1650-1719), an English courtier and official in Ireland, Vice-Treasurer of Ireland in 1686, Commissioner of the Irish Revenue (1692), progenitor of the family in Ireland. He was the "son of William Keightley (b. 1621) of Hertingfordbury, Hertfordshire, by his wife Anne, daughter of John Williams of London, whom he married in 1648 (Chester, Marriage Licenses, ed. Foster, p. 783). His paternal grandfather... Migration of the Keithly family to IrelandSome of the Keithly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Keithly familyFor many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Keithly or a variant listed above: William Keightley, who settled in Jamaica in 1661; Thomas Keightley settled in Newcastle Co. Del. in 1854; James, John, Maria, Robert, Samuel, Violetta, and William Keightly all arrived in Philadelphia between 1820 and 1878..
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