McLea History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

The name McLea arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The McLea family lived in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat at Claye.

Early Origins of the McLea family

The surname McLea was first found in Lincolnshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William del Cley and Robert del Clay as holding lands there at that time. The same rolls also listed Alicia in le Clay, Huntingdonshire. ^[1]

Later, in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Agnes del Clay; Johannes del Clay; and Adam del Clay, Howdenshire. ^[1]

"Clay has long been a Notts surname. It was represented in the parish of Hayton in the time of Henry VII. Hercules Clay was a mayor of Newark in the reign of Charles I. (S.), and Clay is still a Newark name. The Clays of Southwell during last century carried their pedigree back 200 years, and their name is yet in the town. Six centuries ago Clay was a common name in the east of England, especially in Essex, Lincolnshire, Hunts, Cambridgeshire, and Beds. It is still well established in Lincolnshire, as well as in Notts and Derbyshire." ^[2]

Important Dates for the McLea family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McLea research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1457 and 1537 are included under the topic Early McLea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McLea Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Clay, Claye, Cley, Cleye, McClay and others.

Early Notables of the McLea family (pre 1700)

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McLea Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McLea family to Ireland

Some of the McLea 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.

McLea migration to the United States

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name McLea or a variant listed above were:

McLea Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• William McLea, who arrived in New York in 1775
• William McLea, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1775 ^[3]

McLea Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Archibald McLea, who landed in New York in 1816 ^[3]
• James McLea, who settled in Savannah Georgia in 1821

McLea migration to Canada

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McLea Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Mr. James McLea U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 ^[4]

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. ^ Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
3. ^ 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)
4. ^ Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X