The surname Woolfay was first found in Warwickshire at Wolvey, a parish, in the Kirby division of the hundred of Knightlow. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Ulveia. 1 Literally, the place name probably meant "enclosures protected against wolves," from the Old English words "wulf" + "hege." 2 The family name was first referenced in the year 1200 when Roger Wolvey held lands in this area. "The church is an ancient structure, with windows in the early English style; the south entrance is a mixture of the pointed arch and the circular arch of the Norman style. In the interior are two tombs, each having recumbent figures, one the tomb of Sir Thomas de Wolvey (a Knight Templar) and his lady, dated 1330." 3
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Early History of the Woolfay family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Woolfay research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Woolfay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Woolfay Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Woolfay has appeared include Wolvey, Wolfey, Woolvey, Woolfey and others.
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Early Notables of the Woolfay family
More information is included under the topic Early Woolfay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Woolfay family
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Woolfay arrived in North America very early: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..
England
