Stokleys History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Stokleys reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Stokleys 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 Stokleys family

The surname Stokleys 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 Stokleys family

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

Stokleys Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Stokleys include Stockley, Stockleigh, Stokeley, Stuckless, Stuckley and many more.

Early Notables of the Stokleys 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 Stokleys Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stokleys family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Stokleyss to arrive on North American shores: 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)