Yardley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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 Yardley arrived in North America very early:

Yardley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Argall Yardley, who settled in Virginia in 1623
• Argall Yardley, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 3
• Ann Yardley, who settled in Virginia in 1652
• Anne Yardley, who landed in Virginia in 1652 3
• William Yardley, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 3

Yardley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Thomas Yardley, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1704 3
• Elizabeth, Enoch, Jane, and John Yardley, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1750

Yardley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. William Yardley, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Dunvegan Castle" on 13th March 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
• Mr. Thomas Yardley who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 1st October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Yardley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Mrs. Martha E. Yardley, (b. 1828), aged 35, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 6
• Mr. Eli Yardley, (b. 1834), aged 29, British printer travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 6
• Mr. Walter B. Yardley, (b. 1860), aged 3, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 6

• George Harry Yardley III (1928-2004), American NBA basketball player, the first player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in one season, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996
• James Barrett "Jim" Yardley (b. 1964), American journalist
• Colonel Doyle R. Yardley, American Commanding Officer of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion, who was captured and later escaped from a German Prisoner of War camp
• Herbert Osborne Yardley (1889-1958), American cryptologist who founded and led the Black Chamber which broke Japanese diplomatic codes, author of The American Black Chamber (1931)
• Robert Morris Yardley (1850-1902), Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• Jonathan Yardley (b. 1939), American journalist and book critic, Pulitzer Prize winner (Criticism) in 1981
• Jim Yardley (b. 1964), American journalist, winner of the Pulitzer Prize 1994
• William Yardley (1849-1900), English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent from 1868 to 1878
• Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley (1915-1989), English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England
• Thomas James "Jim" Yardley (1946-2010), English cricketer
• ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)