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Stockley History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Stockley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Stockley

What does the name Stockley mean?

The name Stockley was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Stockley family lived in Staffordshire. The name was derived from the Old English words stocc, meaning tree trunk, and leah, meaning clearing, and indicates that the original bearer of the name lived at or near a wooded clearing. 1

Alternatively, the name could have originated in Devon where Stockley-English and Stockley-Pomeroy can be found. 2 3

Early Origins of the Stockley family

The surname Stockley was first found in Staffordshire where they were conjecturally descended from two Norman nobles, brothers in arms, named Rafwin and Alwin, who were under tenants of the Bishop of Chester at Yoxall in that shire.

Hartland, Devon is of particular importance to the family in early years. In the basement of the Abbey, "of which there remain portions of the Early English cloisters, belongs to Sir George Stucley, who represents, in the female line, the Stukelys of Afton, several members of whom figure prominently in Devonshire history. Thomas Stukely undertook the plantation of Florida, but turned to something like piracy instead, and died at Alcazar in Africa, fighting side by side with Sebastian of Portugal, in 1578. He it was who told Elizabeth that he would rather be the sovereign of a molehill than the highest subject to the greatest king in Christendom. It was Sir Lewis Stukely, afterwards named 'Judas,' who arrested Ralegh on his return from his last voyage ; and in later days Puritanism and the Parliament had few more earnest advocates in word and deed than another Lewis Stukely, the Independent minister of Exeter. " 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of has two early entries for the family: Ralph de Stockleye, Suffolk; and Pagan de Stockleye, Oxfordshire. 5 Robert de Stockele was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 6

Early History of the Stockley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stockley research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1473, 1475, 1496, 1520, 1521, 1526, 1529, 1539, 1542, 1545, 1559, 1568, 1571, 1578, 1581, 1620, 1661, 1663 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Stockley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stockley Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Stockley, Stockleigh, Stokeley, Stuckless, Stuckley and many more.

Early Notables of the Stockley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Stucley (1473-1542) of Affeton, Sheriff of Devon in 1521; and his eldest son, Sir Hugh Stucley (1496-1559), Lord of the manor of Affeton in Devon, and Sheriff of Devon in 1545. His eldest son and heir, Lewes Stucley (1529-1581), eldest son and heir, was Standard Bearer to Queen Elizabeth I. His third son, Thomas Stukley (c. 1520-1578) "The Lusty Stucley", was mercenary who fought in France, Ireland and in...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stockley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stockley Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Stockley is the 422^nd most popular surname with an estimated 111 people with that name. 7

Stockley migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Stockley or a variant listed above:

Stockley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Francis Stockley, who landed in Virginia in 1651 8
John Stockley, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 8
Ann Stockley, who arrived in Maryland in 1653 8
Anthony Stockley, who landed in Maryland in 1663 8
Elizabeth Stockley, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stockley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Stockley, who settled in Virginia in 1774

Stockley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stockley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

George Stockley who settled in Barrow Harbour, Bona Vista Bay, Newfoundland, in 1783 9

Stockley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Samuel Stockley and his family held Pinchards Island, Newfoundland in 1802 9
James Stockley, who settled in Greenspond, Newfoundland in 1815 9
William Stockley settled at Robin Hood, Newfoundland in 1857 9
William Stockley settled at Ship Cove, Newfoundland in 1857 9

Stockley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Stockley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Stockley, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Edward Stockley, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Amelia Stockley, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Countess of Yarborough" in 1850 12

Stockley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Stockley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Stockley (Stackley), British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 13
Miss Phoebe Stockley, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 13

Stockley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Stockley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John and Mary Stockley, who settled in Jamaica in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Stockley (post 1700) +

Charles Clark Stockley (1819-1901), American Democratic Party politician, 45th Governor of Delaware (1883-1887), member of the Delaware Senate (1873-1877)
Samuel Joshua "Sam" Stockley (b. 1977), English former footballer who played in 510 matches from 1996 to 2013
Henry Stockley (1892-1982), nicknamed "Busdriver Stockley", an English primitive artist
David Stockley, English engineer at London Polytechnic
William Frederick Paul Stockley M.A. D.Litt., (1859-1943), Irish academic, Sinn Féin politician and Teachta Dála (TD)
Peter Stockley Ph.D., British Professor of Biological Chemistry in the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds
Miriam Stockley (b. 1962), British singer, born in Johannesburg, South Africa; her work is influenced by the African music from her home country

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) COUNTESS OF YARBOROUGH 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850CountessYarborough.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies