Dianne Elizabeth's Family History

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Harley Coat of Arms

The Harley Surname appears to be locational in origin, and is believed to be associated with the English, meaning, "One who came from, or lived near the hare's wood". It started out as "Hara leah" (Anglo Saxon c.495-1000 AD) then to "Hara ley", middle English, meaning Clearing in the Wood (Thanks to Michael Harley of Brisbane, Australia). Any comments or additional information which can add further knowledge regarding the origins of our Surname would be greatly appreciated. I can be reached by: E-mail

The Harley Coat of Arms is officially recorded in ancient heraldic archives. Documentation for the design can be found in Burke's General Armory. Heraldic artists of old developed their own unique language to describe an individual Coat of Arms. To clarify the term 'Coats of Arms', sometimes imprecisely called "crests" which properly are the devices that appear above shields, please read the following:

A 'coat of arms' does not belong to a "family name." It belongs to an individual who is acknowledged as its owner, or who receives a grant for it. Under the laws of most countries, other than the U.S., the unbroken male line descendants (and in some cases the females) of any person who has a legally recognized right to bear heraldic arms, may use the progenitor's arms, inheriting them in the same way that anything else is inherited. [Genealogical Research: Methods and Sources, vol. I (New Orleans, LA: Polyanthos, Inc., 1980), 547.] Sooo...unless proof can be established linking an uninterrupted male line to an ancestor who was entitled to a coat of arms, it is not automatically a possession of all who carry this family Surname (although it's nice to feel like we belong to something bigger than ourselves).

HARLEY researcher, Michael Harley added this information to our name:

"In an ancient Obiit, or Leiger Book of the Abbey of Pershore (Worcestershire, England) in commemoration of a Noble Warrior of this name, who in commanding an army under Ethelred, King of England, in his wars against Swane (or Swein Forkbeard), King of Denmark; gave the Danes a great defeat near the town about the year 1013 A.D."

The first name of this gentleman is unknown but he had a son, Sir John de Harley who "possessed of Harley Castle and Lordship" (before 1066 A.D.) who married Alice De Leighton. The Harley name goes back in various forms ("Hara leah" Old English Anglo Saxon c 495-1000A.D.) "Hara ley" middle English meaning "Clearing in the wood" and was a very upper-class English name being used by many Lords etc. with connections going back to John, King of England (of Magna Carta fame in 1215), Richard, Earl of Cornwall, 1209-1272 (King of the Romans and brother to King Henry 3rd).

Sir John Harley of Brampton Castle (36Km ssw of Harley) received the honour of Knighthood from King Edward IV, on the field of battle at Gaston, near Tewkesbury (74Km SE of Harley) on the 9th May,1471. The historic Harley castle is still standing (but in very bad repair) and a lot of early English history centred on this Castle.

William Harley was twice Prime Minister of England. Arthur Collins in 1725 made a detailed and well researched history of the Harley family for Margaret Bentinck (nee Harley)."

To more fully understand the implications and meaning of a Family Coat of Arms it is worthwhile to visit the FAQ Page at The American College of Heraldry

Listed below are additional links to credible sites for further research into Surnames and Family Coat of Arms:

Surnames:
Guild of One-Name Studies (United Kingdom) is an umbrella organization for one-name studies. A one-name study is "a project researching all occurrences of a surname, as opposed to a particular pedigree (ancestors of one person) or descendency (descendants of one person or couple)."

Cyndi's List for Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters to see if the surname you are interested in has a Web site, a periodical, or a mailing list.

The College of Arms, London, the official grantor of Coats of Arms in the United Kingdom; it also houses official genealogies establishing entitlement to existing Coats of Arms by way of descent. This site contains the following warning: "There has recently been a spate of shops and other organizations selling heraldic plaques and other items purporting to represent Coats of Arms associated with a specific surname. Their sources are unofficial and unreliable printed works of reference, which are far from comprehensive and contain numerous errors and omissions. There is no such thing as a Coat of Arms for a surname, as Coats of Arms belong only to the original grantees and their descendants in the male line."

Coats of Arms:
The American College of Heraldry allows legitimate bearers of arms from other countries to register them in the U.S.; it also has assisted many people with designing their own coats of arms. A quote from this page emphasizes the points made above: "It is highly inappropriate for one to locate the arms of another person sharing the same surname, and to simply adopt and use these arms as one's own. . . To buy and bear these commercially produced arms is to claim for oneself a direct kinship which has only the most remote possibility of validity, and is thereby to deny one's own legitimate and rightful line of descent."

If a Family Coat of Arms is something you want to pursue, there are several steps you may take to accomplish this:

Trace your genealogy back to the ancestor who applied for and received the right to bear the Coat of Arms associated with his name...

Submit this direct-line ancestry to the receive recognition and rights associated with your Family Heraldry...

Create your OWN Family Coat of Arms and submit it...

The American College of Heraldry site listed above outlines these procedures.

For additional reading about the Harley Surname see: THE HARLEYS OF SHROPSHIRE

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