The Origin of ‘Audley’ (page 2)

This page considers:

• • • Whether the Audley Surname is of Norman or Anglo-Saxon Origin
    • Whether The Audley Surname in Ireland shares a commom Origin to the Audley surname in Ireland.

The information on this page is based upon:

• • • The Doomsday Book
    • The Battle Abbey Rolls
    • Surname Dictionaries
    • The variation of the spelling of the Audley surname from 1068
    • The research of Mr Richard Sneyd
    • Other sources of information

It is probable that The Audley surname is a locational surname (i.e originating from a place). It is therefore possible that there is no single common ancestor for all those people who today have the Audley surname. It is unlikely that documentary evidence will be found to link together all the Audley Families on the family tree page of this website. DNA testing of the different branches of the Audley Family may prove or disprove the existence of a common Audley Ancestor.

If you have any alternative or similar suggestions as to the origin of these surnames please submit them to the website through he contact page.

• • •  The village of Audley was in existence by 1086. This suggests that the village predates 1066 but gives no indication as to whether the name of the village was changes as a result of the Norman invasion.
    • There is only one place in the Doomsday book called Audley (even though it was spelt Aldidlege). It can therefore be concluded that the Audley surname had developed from this single village. Currently in England there are 5 other places with Audley in their name, it is concluded that those places were named after a person called Audley. It should be noted that although there is single locational source for the Audley surname this does not necessarily mean that that all people with the Audley surname share a Common ancestor. For example a number of unrelated people who lived in the village of Audley could have been styled as ‘of Audley’ which in time reduced to the surname Audley.

. P H Reaney in his dictionary of English Surnames proposes that the origin of the Audley name is Old English suggesting that the name is of Saxon origin rather than Norman origin. From this one can conclude that comments such as:

Audley

King William I of England (aka William the Conqueror) instructed that an Abbey be built on the site of the Battle of Hastings. The Battle Abbey Roll was reputedly a list of all the knights that fought alongside William at the Battle of Hastings. The original roll has long since been lost, however a number of people claim to have made copies of the Battle Abbey Roll, even though no two are the same. The general opinion is that the copies of the Battle Abbey Roll can not be considered a reliable document.

The following copies of the Battle Abbet Rolls indicate that an Audley fought alongside William at the Battle of Hastings:

• • • • • Holinshead Roll: has Audeley followed by the name Adgillam
        • Duchesne’s Roll: has Audeley followed by the name Angilliam
        • Leland’s Roll: has Audel et Aungeloun (the names are listed in pairs)

This information is from ‘The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineage Vol 1 of 3’ (published 1889) of 3 by the Duchess of Cleveland

http://www.archive.org/details/battleabbeyrollw01battuoft

Audley
Volume 1 of the above document states:
Audley: An undeniable interpolation. This name was assumed from the manor of Audley or Aldithley (Aldidelege, Doomsday) in Staffordshire –See Verdon

Audley
AUDLEY Ancient Parish 4V2 miles north-west of Newcastle-under-Lyme (SJ 7950). Has been recorded with the following various spellings in the years stated:

Aldidelege 1086,
( Source Doomsday Book)

Aldedeslega 1130
(Source SHC I 3; Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

Aldithelega 1182
(Source The Staffordshire Pipe Rolls 1155-1216, ed RW Eyton, SHC I & II, 1880-81; The PipeRoll Soc., in progress; The PipeRolls (RC), 3 vols,1833-44; TheGreat Roll of the Pipe for 26 Henry 3, ed. Cannon 1918)

Aldedalega 1185
(Source SHC I 121, Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

Aldithlege, Aldithleia 12th century
(Source Duignan W.H. (1902) Notes on Staffordshire Place-Names, London&New York: Henry Frowde)

Aldithelee c. 1235
(Source Rees 1997: 68;Rees U (ed) The Cartulary of Lilleshall Abbey, Shrewsbury:Shropshire Archaelogical Society & University of Wales Press)

Auditheleg’ 1242
Source Fees,

Auddedelegh, Audedeleye 1271
(source SHC V (i) 152; Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

Audeyeleg 1272
(Source SHC XI NS 242; Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

Aldithlegh 1679
(Source SHC 1926 215;(SHC= Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

‘The Leah of Aldgyp’, an OE feminine name. (see below) Stratton Audley in Oxfordshire takes the second part of its name from a family who probably came from this place.

‘Leah’ a wood, woodland, a rough open space or clearing in a wood, a glade; woodland clearing, especially one used for pasture or arable’, and later’a piece of open land, a meadow. A very common element, giving the endings -ley, -leigh, -le.

Personal names found in Staffordshire place-names
Although masculine forms are generally given in the place-name entries, it is in many cases impossible to distinguish masculine and feminine personal names in place-names. The following list gives masculine names, with certain feminine names marked (f)

Aldgyp (f) OE Audley.

Heleigh

HEIGHLEY. HEIGHLEY CASTLE 4.5 miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme (SJ 7747, SJ 7746).

 Heolla 1086
(source DB,DB =Doomsday Book)

Helyh (Castle) 1227
(source Ch, Ch= Cheshire)

Heleye 1273
(source Ipm, Ipm = Calendar of Inquisitions post mortem (PRO), in progress;Inquisitions post mortem 1223-1366, SHC 1911,1913 unpublished Inquisitions post mortem in PRO

Heleye 1274
(source SHC 1911 160, SHC= Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

Heley c. 1540
(source Leland, Leland = Toulmin Smith 1906 –10) [ Toulmin Smith L (ed 1906-10) The Itinerary of John Leland London 1906-10, London Centaur Press (reprinted 1964)]

Helay Castle c. 1565
(source SHC 1938 113, SHC= Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

Heyley 1587
(source SHC XV 182,SHC= Staffordshire Historical Collection formerly Transactions of the William Salt Archaeological Society)

Heyley Castle 1686
(source Plot. = Plot,R (1686 The Nauural History of Staffordshire, Oxford: The theatre(and Browne’s map of 1682 in that volume)

Perhaps from OE heah-leah,’high clearing or wood’, notwithstanding the DB spelling – the place lies at a pronounced hill. A hybrid name incorporating Welsh heol ‘a road, a way’ is unlikely, but not impossible.

Audley

AUDLEY Gender: Masculine Usage: English
From a surname which was taken from a place name meaning “EALDGYD’s clearing” in Old English
ALDITH Gender: Feminine Usage: Medieval ; Medieval form of EALDGYD
EALDGYD Gender: Feminine Usage: Anglo- Saxon Derived from Old English Elements eald ‘old’ and ‘gyo’ battle’

Audley
English: habitation name from a place in Staffordshire so called from the Old English female name Ealdgyd (composed of eald meaning old+ gyd meaning battle) + Old English leah meaning wood, clearing

Audsley
English: habitation name from an unidentified place (probably in Yorkshire, where the surname is most common), so called from the general case of an Old English personal name with the first (e)ald meaning old + Old English leah meaning wood, clearing

Audley

Mr Richard Sneyd in his research proposes that

• • • •  the Aldithley (Audley), Sneyd and Stanley surnames have a common ancestor and can be traced back to Leofwine, (c 950 to c1023) an Ealderman of the Hwicce in Mercia.
      • Leofwine’s 2x great grandson William/Adam ( born c1067) was the first individual to be known as ‘de Aldithley’.
      • that 2 of the 2x great grandsons of William/Adam de Aldithley (Audley) became William de Stoneley (Stanley) (born 1170) and Richard de Snede (Snyde)