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![Show Contents]() Migelay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The Anglo-Saxon name Migelay comes from when the family resided in the settlement of Migley in Durham, or in the place named Midgley in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Migelay 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 Migelay familyThe surname Migelay 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 Migelay familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Migelay research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Migelay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migelay 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. Migelay has been recorded under many different variations, including Midgley, Midgeley, Midgely, Medgley, Medgely, Medgeley and many more. Early Notables of the Migelay familyMore information is included under the topic Early Migelay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Migelay 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 Migelay or a variant listed above: 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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