Mealie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Mealie

The name Mealie is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in place name Madeley (Staffordshire and Shropshire), Medley in Oxfordshire 1 or a Madely in Gloucestershire. 2 The reason for the multiple local names is because the name generally means "woodland clearing of a man called Mada," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 3

The one exception is Madeley-Market in Shropshire where "the name of this town indicates its situation between two rivers, and the adjunct arose from the grant of a market here, in the time of Henry III., to a community of Cluniac monks at Wenlock, to whom Madeley belonged." 4 Madley is a small parish, in the union of Dore, hundred of Webtree, in Herefordshire. 4

Of all the locals, the Staffordshire parish is the oldest as it dates back to Saxon times when it was known as Madanlieg in 975. Both the Staffordshire and Shropshire parishes were entered in the Domesday Book of 1086 and were both listed as Madelie. 5

Early Origins of the Mealie family

Early History of the Mealie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mealie research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1167, 1504, 1510, 1563, 1578, 1600, 1672, 1703, 1706, 1709, 1710, 1717, 1720, 1721, 1722, 1728, 1731, 1735, 1741, 1742, 1744, 1747 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Mealie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mealie Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Mealie are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Mealie include: Medley, Medleigh, Madley, Madleigh, Medlie, Medlee and many more.

Early Notables of the Mealie family

Distinguished members of the family include Henry Medley (d. 1747), British Vice-Admiral who entered the navy in 1703; was in 1706 a midshipman of the Somerset with Captain Price at the relief of Barcelona; passed his examination on 8 Feb. 1709-1710 (passing certificate); and on 5 Sept. 1710 was promoted by Sir John Norris to be Lieutenant of the Fame, from which a few months later he was moved into the Stirling Castle. In 1717 he was a lieutenant of the Barfleur, flagship of Sir George Byng in the Baltic. Early in 1720 he was promoted to the command of the...
Another 131 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mealie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mealie family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Mealie or a variant listed above: 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..