Stoklay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Stoklay came to England with the ancestors of the Stoklay family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Stoklay 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 Stoklay family

The surname Stoklay 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 Stoklay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stoklay 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 Stoklay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stoklay 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 Stoklay 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 Stoklay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stoklay family

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 Stoklay or a variant listed above: George Stockley who settled in Barrow Harbour, Bona Vista Bay, Newfoundland, in 1783; Samuel Stockley and his family held Pinchards Island in 1802; and James Stockley settled in Greenspond in 1815.

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)