Stealey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient name Stealey is a Norman name that would have been developed in England after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This name was a name given to a person who was strong or reliable. The surname Steele is a metaphor likening the constitution of its bearer to the hard metal of the same name.

Early Origins of the Stealey family

The surname Stealey was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from very early times where they were Lords of the manor of Giddy Hall near Sandbach, and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

They were conjecturally descended from Bigot de Loges, a Norman noble who attended King William at the Battle of Hastings. However, William the Conqueror suppressing an uprising by his northern nobles in 1070, laid waste all of Sandbach, a large district in Cheshire, and the family moved north to Scotland.

Early History of the Stealey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stealey research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1259, 1524, 1610, 1616, 1629, 1637, 1643, 1662, 1672, 1680, 1692, 1697, 1729 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Stealey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stealey Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Stealey were recorded, including Steele, Steill, Steel, Steal and others.

Early Notables of the Stealey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Steele (1610-1680), English lawyer and politician from Sandbach, Cheshire, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, grandfather of Sir Richard Steele of Dublin; Thomas Steele (d. 1643), who was shot for surrendering Beeston Castle in the Civil War; and Laurence Steele (bap...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stealey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stealey family to Ireland

Some of the Stealey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stealey migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Stealey arrived in North America very early:

Stealey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G Stealey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Stealey (post 1700) +

Robert Evans Stealey, American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wood County, 1943-46
O. O. Stealey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1888 (member, Committee on Permanent Organization)
Charles T. Stealey, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Harrison County, 1928

Citations +

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)