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![Show Contents]() Medgelay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The name Medgelay is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in the settlement of Migley in Durham, or in the place named Midgley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Medgelay 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 Medgelay familyThe surname Medgelay was first found in West Riding of Yorkshire at Midgley, a hill-top village in Calderdale in the chapelry of Luddenden, parish and union of Halifax, wapentake of Morley. The village dates back to at least the Domesday Book when it was listed as Micleie and literally meant "wood or clearing infested with midges," from the Old English mycg + leah. 1 One branch was later found at Thornton, again in the West Riding of Yorkshire. "Leventhorpe Hall, also in the township, was the seat of a distinguished family; and at Headley is an old mansion in the Elizabethan style, in former times occupied by a branch of the Midgleys." 2 Early History of the Medgelay familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Medgelay research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Medgelay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Medgelay Spelling VariationsThe first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Medgelay has been spelled many different ways, including Midgley, Midgeley, Midgely, Medgley, Medgely, Medgeley and many more. Early Notables of the Medgelay familyMore information is included under the topic Early Medgelay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Medgelay familyThousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Medgelays to arrive in North America: Robert and John Medley, who came to Virginia in 1635; Roger Medley settled in Barbados in 1672; John and Benjamin Midgley settled in New York in 1820.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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