The ancient roots of the Oteland family name are in the
Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Oteland comes from when the family lived in the parish of Oteley found in the counties of
Shropshire,
Suffolk and the West Riding of
Yorkshire. Oteland is derived from the Old English elements "ote," or "oats" and "leah," meaning "a clearing."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York, Harper & Row, 1956. PrintEarly Origins of the Oteland family
The surname Oteland was first found in
Suffolk where the first record of the family was found in the
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as Richard de Otteleye. Kirby's Quest lists "Henry Otleghe,
Somerset, Edward III"
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print. (Henry Otleghe held lands in
Somerset during the reign of Edward III.)
Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Mary Henry Hotlay as living there at that time. [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Oteland family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oteland research.
Another 370 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1434, 1716, 1601, 1649, 1643, 1644, 1646, 1626, 1670, 1661 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Oteland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Oteland Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The
spelling variations under which the name Oteland has appeared include Ottley, Otley, Oatley, Oteley, Oatly and others.
Early Notables of the Oteland family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Sir Francis Ottley (1601-1649), English Royalist knight, military governor of Shrewsbury in 1643 and later
High Sheriff of
Shropshire (1644-1646)...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Oteland Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Oteland family to Ireland
Some of the Oteland family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Oteland family to the New World and Oceana
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in
England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left
England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Oteland arrived in North America very early: Thomas Otley, who is on record in Virginia in 1618; Abraham and Adam Otley, who both arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1641; Darcy Oatly, who was on record in Virginia in 1657.