Walmesly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Walmesly family

The surname Walmesly was first found in Lancashire at Bickersfatte and Houghton. " In after times the township [of Wilpshire in Lancashire] became a possession of the Walmesleys, of whom Sir Thomas Walmesley died seised of the estate in the reign of Charles I." 1 Today Walmersley is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester. The place name literally meant "lake by the wood." 2

"The Walmsleys, who derived their name originally from a Lancashire township, are now very numerous in the Preston district. There was an old and distinguished family of this name at Dunken Haigh or Dunkenhalgh, Blackburn, during the 16th and 17th centuries: Sir Thomas Walmsley, of Dunkenhalgh, was a judge of the Common Pleas in the reign of Elizabeth. Walmesley, of Dunkenhalgh, was one of the intended Knights of the Royal Oak, an Order, however, the institution of which by Charles II. was never accomplished (B.). The Walmesleys of Coldcotes branched off from the Dunkenhalgh stock in the 17th century." 3

Roger de Walmeresleghe was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire in 1332 and later, John Wamesley was a Freeman of Leicestershire in 1549. 4

Early History of the Walmesly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Walmesly research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1193, 1537, 1612, 1680, 1690, 1698, 1701, 1713 and 1751 are included under the topic Early Walmesly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walmesly Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Walmesly have been found, including Walmsley, Warmsley, Walmsly, Walmesley, Wormsley, Walmsleigh, Warmsleigh, Walmsleigh, Walmesleigh, Wormsleigh, Wolmsley, Wolmsleigh, Walmslee, Walmsley, Walmslea, Warmslea, Warmslee, Walmslie, Warmslie, Walmslie, Walmeslea, Walmeslee, Walmeslie, Wormslee, Wormslie, Wormslea, Wormeslie and many more.

Early Notables of the Walmesly family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Thomas Walmesely (1537-1612), English judge, eldest son of Thomas Walmesley of Showley in the township of Clayton-le-dale and of Cunliffe in the township of Rishton, Lancashire. "His reputation for learning was great, and he early evinced his independence by allowing bail in a murder case, contrary to the express injunctions of the queen...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Walmesly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Walmesly migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Walmesly, or a variant listed above:

Walmesly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Walmesly, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 5

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)