Oteley History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsEtymology of OteleyWhat does the name Oteley mean? Oteley is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the parish of Oteley found in the counties of Shropshire, Suffolk and the West Riding of Yorkshire. 1 Oteley is derived from the Old English elements "ote," or "oats" and "leah," meaning "a clearing." 2 Otley in the West Riding of Yorkshire as "in the Domesday Survey [as] Othelia, is supposed to have derived the name from Othe or Otho, its Saxon proprietor. It formed the principal portion of an extensive manor or liberty, which was granted by Athelstan to the see of York. The archbishops had a residence here, and their successors to this day are lords of the manor and liberty." 3 Early Origins of the Oteley familyThe surname Oteley 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" 4 (Henry Otleghe held lands in Somerset during the reign of Edward III.) Tor de Ottalay was listed in Yorkshire (1148-1156); Thomas de Otteleg was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1225 in Suffolk; and Paulinus de Otteley was found in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1301. 5 Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Mary Henry Hotlay as living there at that time. 6 Early History of the Oteley familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oteley research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1425, 1434, 1601, 1626, 1643, 1644, 1646, 1649, 1661, 1670, 1716 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Oteley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Oteley Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Oteley family name include Ottley, Otley, Oatley, Oteley, Oatly and others. Early Notables of the Oteley familyNotables 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)... Migration of the Oteley familyFor political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Oteley surname or a spelling variation of the name include: 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.
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