Morralay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Morralay is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the medieval given name Morel. The name was originally derived from the name More or Moore a nickname for a someone of dark complexion. This name stems from the Old French word Moor, meaning black man.

Early Origins of the Morralay family

The surname Morralay was first found in Northumberland where one of the first records of the name was found at North Middleton, a township, in the parish of Hartburn. "This place, which was also called MiddletonMorell, from an ancient proprietor named Morell, was afterwards divided among various proprietors." ^[1]

Important Dates for the Morralay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Morralay research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1704, 1795, 1839, 1788 and 1880 are included under the topic Early Morralay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Morralay Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Morralay include Morrell, Morel, Morrel, Morrall, Morrill, Murrill and others.

Early Notables of the Morralay family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Mary Morrill (Morrel/Morrills/Morill) (c. 1620-1704), birth name of Mary Folger, English-born indentured servant in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, grandmother of Benjamin Franklin; Benjamin...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Morralay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Morralay family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Morralays to arrive on North American shores: David Morrell settled in Virginia in 1656; Nicholas Morrel settled in Barbados with his wife, son in 1679; he later moved to Boston; Mary Morrell and her husband settled in Barbados in 1694.

Citations

1. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.