Singley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The present generation of the Singley family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the village of Singleton found in the counties of Lancashire and Sussex. The surname Singley is a habitation surname which was originally derived from pre-exiting names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The literal meaning of the surname Singley is farm in the burnt clearing from the Old English word sengel. 1

Early Origins of the Singley family

The surname Singley was first found in Lancashire at Singleton-in-the-Fylde (Singleton), a chapelry, in the parish of Kirkham, union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness or in Sussex at Singleton, a parish, in the union of West Hampnett, hundred of Westbourn and Singleton.

The Lancashire chapelry seems to point to the family's origin as in "Singleton (Lancashire) is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and was once the property of a family of the local name" 2 and "a parish in Sussex, and a chapelry in Lancashire. The latter was long possessed by a very ancient family. " 3

The chapelry was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Singletun 4 and in 1185 as Sengelton. 1 The township of Thornley cum Wheatley in Lancashire was once held by the family. "Thomas, Earl of Derby, in the 14th of Henry VII., purchased the manor of Thornley-cum-Wheatley from Charles Singleton." 2

Warton in Lancashire was also an early home of the family. "In the 7th of Henry VIII. the manor of Warton was held by Richard Singleton, of Broughton Tower." 2

Early History of the Singley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Singley research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1544, 1618, 1637, 1640, 1677 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Singley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Singley Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Singley include Singleton, Singleturn, Shingleton and others.

Early Notables of the Singley family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Robert or John Singleton (d. 1544), an English Roman Catholic divine who belonged to a Lancashire family and was educated at Oxford, but does not appear to have graduated. "He became a priest, and for some utterances which were accounted treasonable was brought...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Singley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Singley Ranking

In the United States, the name Singley is the 7,720^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Singley family to Ireland

Some of the Singley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Singley migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Singley were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Singley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Machael Singley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 6
Margaret Singley, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 6
Rosins Singley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1806 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Singley (post 1700) +

Greg Singley (b. 1950), An American Painter and a leading floral impressionist painter
Alan Singley, American lead vocalist of the Alan Singley and Pants Machine, an Indie rock band
James Singley, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 11th District, 1855-56 7

Citations +

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.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html