Hartless History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Hartless

What does the name Hartless mean?

Hartless is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in the village of Hartley which was in several English counties including Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Kent, Lancashire, York and Northumberland. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English words hart which means a stag and lea which means a wood or clearing. 1

Of all these places, Hartley in Kent in the oldest as it dates back to Saxon times when it was known as Heoratleag in 843. 2 Another source claims this parish dates back further as "Heortleáh in the 8th century." 3

Early Origins of the Hartless family

The surname Hartless was first found in Yorkshire where "Hartley is a very common West Riding name. It is also established in Lancashire. There are hamlets and townships of the name in the West Riding, Westmorland, Northumberland." 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Ricardus de Hertlay; and Willelmus de Hertelay. They "lived in the parish of Ecclesfield, West Riding of Yorkshire The surname has ramified in an extraordinary manner in the West Riding. The parentage in all probability will have to be sought for in Ecclesfield parish or the immediate neighbourhood." 5

But before these entries, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Brian de Hertheley, Lincolnshire; and Richard de Hertleye, Salop (Shropshire.) 5

Up to the north in Scotland, the name is from "Hartley (Hartecla 1265, Hartcla 1291, Hartla 1306) a manor in the parish of Kirkby-Stephen, Westmorland. Michael de Hardcla or Hartcla was deputy sheriff of Westmorland in 1276 and 1277, and Sheriff of Cumberland in part of the year 1285 and then until 1298. On the execution of his brother Andrew de Hardcla, earl of Carlisle, for treason, he fled into Scotland with a number of his friends." 6

Early History of the Hartless family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hartless research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1191, 1273, 1327, 1379, 1621, 1623, 1691, 1695, 1698, 1705, 1709, 1720, 1757 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Hartless History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hartless Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Hartless has been recorded under many different variations, including Hartley, Hartly, Hartlay, Hartlaye, Hartlie, Hertley, Hertly, Hertlay, Hertelay, Hertheley, Hertleye, Hertlegh, Hartleigh and many more.

Early Notables of the Hartless family

Notables of this surname at this time include: David Hartley (1705-1757), English philosopher, "baptised at Luddenden, Halifax, on 21 June 1705, although his son gives this date of his birth as 30 Aug. 1705. His father, David Hartley, was entered as a servitor of Lincoln College, Oxford, on 1 April 1691, aged 17, where he was described as 'pauperis filius,'...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hartless Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hartless family to Ireland

Some of the Hartless family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hartless migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hartless or a variant listed above:

Hartless Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Hartless, who landed in Virginia in 1662 7

Hartless migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hartless Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Hartless, English convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa