Levely History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Levely family

The surname Levely was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Castleharnock.

"Castle Horneck, which signifies the iron castle, is situated, according to Norden, on the site of “an ancient ruined castle.” It stands on a mount near Penzance, and appears to have been in former times a place of some importance. Castle Horneck was for several generations a seat of the family of Levelis. " 1

Early History of the Levely family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Levely research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1142, 1149, 1162, 1172, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Levely History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levely Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Lavelis, Lavellis, Levelis, Levellis, Lovellis, Lovelis, Lavelies, Lavellies, Lovellies and many more.

Early Notables of the Levely family

Notable amongst the family at this time was As early as 1172 branches of certain family surnames moved to Ireland with the invasion of Strongbow, still more were encouraged to be a part of...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Levely Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.