The History of the Blakeley's: In the beginning....

Blakeley is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname coming from "Blacklee". According to Reaney's book of surnames, the name is derived from the description of someone who was a 'dweller by the black or dark wood or forest'. Probably a family who lived in a hut in a clearing in the dark forest, it was given the name e.g. 'John of the Black Leah'. Over the years this would be corrupted to become 'John Blacklee' and further corruptions would occur due to spelling problems in an illiterate society; the majority of the populous including the royalty and the gentry could only sign their name with a '+' mark (and not and 'x' as now used). Alternately, The Oxford Book of Surnames suggests that BLACKLEE could mean 'black wood or clearing' (in the wood). The derivation is from Black Leah (also spelled Leage, Lieg, Lea). Leah is Old English and is given the following meaning 'an open place in a wood, a part of a wood with the trees scattered so that grass can grow'. In English there are two senses to be reckoned with.

The more common one is 'open place in a wood, glade', probably not really a cleared place, but a naturally open space. if the rendering 'clearing' is used, it should be taken in the sense 'glade'. It appears specialized to 'meadow' in names like 'Lamb-ley, and Stud-ley'; the other main sense is 'wood, forest' as in 'Blackleah' refering to a dark wood or forest. Originally Wyre Forest was called Weogorena Leag. The Forest of Weald was Andersleage (see Saxon Chronicles). Note that the earlier ending was leag or lieg so Blackleage or Blacklieg would have been more likely to have been used. Tthis later mutated into Blackleah and Blackley. The name Blakeley had appeared by1282, and a Robert atte Blakeley is found in 1337, and is made up of 'Blake' meaning black, 'ley' (leah). Names ending in 'Leah' were most common in old woodland districts.

Blakeney, although it is not in Reaney's book of Surnames, being presumably classed as coming from a place-name (Reaney says that he had excluded all names derived from place names), Blakeney does appear in the Oxford Dictionary of Surnames. It gives the meaning as 'Black Island' (Old English - Blaca's Island) and lists the diffent spellings through the ages as - 1185 Blachen; 1196 Blackenia; 1242 Blakenye (Blakeney; Norfolk); 1248, Blakene. It also mentions that Blakney, Norfolk was originally called Snitterley. The name was probably changed when the Saxons came to Norfolk and became the 'North Volk'. It seems quite likley that Blakeney is another Saxon derived surname.

The Saxon Chronicles

Prior to the Romans coming to Britannia, as they named it, the inhabitants had no written language. When Julius Caesar came in 54B.C. he embarked from Boulogne, which had been settled by Belgaic invader tribes including the Britanni who lived nearby. Some Belgaic invaders had already settled in Brittain, so Julius Assumed that they were the Britanni, so he gave it the name of Brittania, the land of the Britanni. This was based on the totally incorrect notion that the Britanni had come over here, when, in fact, they never did. This means that we got our name by mistake!

Place-names were used by the Romans and these may have originated some surnames. 449A.D. is generally considered as the start of the Anglo-Saxon era.

449AD '...Marcian and Velentinian obtained the kingdom and reigned seven years. In their days, King Vortigern invited the Angles hither, (to help battle the Picts in Scotland), and they then came hither to Britain in three ships, at a place called Ebsfleet. King Vortigern gave them land to the southeast of this land on condition that they fought against the Picts'

They then fought against the Picts and had victory where-ever they came, then they sent to Angulus and ordered them to send more aid and to be told of the worthlessness of the Britons and of the excellence of the land. They at once sent hither a large force.

These men came from three nations of Germany, from the Old Saxons, from the Angles and from the Jutes. From the Jutes came the people of the Isle of Wight, that is the race that now dwells in the Isle of Wight, and the West Saxons which is still called the race of the Jutes. From the Old Saxons comes the East Saxons and the South Saxons and the West Saxons; from Angulus which has stood waste ever since, between the Jutes and the Saxons, came the East Angles, the middle Angles, the Mercians and all of the Northumbrians. Their leaders were two brothers Hengist and Horsa. They were the sons of Wihgils.

In the middle years of the fifth Century, a Germanic people, known generally to the Bristish people as Saxons, who had, for long been troublesome pirates to the inhabitants of Britain, altered the nature of their intentions towards the island. The settlement proper began. By the end of the firfth Century a firm foothold had been established along the eastern shores of Britain, from the Humber and the Wash to the Thames Estuary and Kent. Sussex became a Saxon kingdom in the last quarter of the century. The whole movement was bound up politically with the slow consolidation of Frankish power in Gaul and possilby, with the failure to set up a Saxon Normandy. This was some-time between the years of 490 and 516A.D. when the invaders recieved a serious check.

455AD ..... In this year Hengist and Horsa fought against King Vortigern at a place called Aylesford and Horsa was slain. After that Hengist succeeded to the kingdom.

456AD. ..... In this year Hengist and his son, Aesc fought against the Britons at a place called Crayford (near Dartford, Kent) and there slew four companies and the Britons then forsook Kent and fled to London in great terror.

527AD ..... In this year Cerdic and Cynric fought against the Britons at the place which is called Cerdicesleag. (This is the first usage of 'leag' which is also the 'ley' of Blakeley, in the Chronicles).

The first half of the Sixth entury was a time for consolidation. During these troubled times an uneasy balance was caused by the attraction of the Host in troubled times, of the Celts to the west and Germans to the east. In the eastern coastal settlements the Germanic peoples intensified their hold, welcoming new immigrants from the Continent and spawning off important new secondary settlements such as that of the Jutes in the Isle of Wight and south Hampshire or that of the men of the March in middle Trent, the nucleus of historic Mercia which appeared to gain coherence in the middle of the sixth Century. It is probable that the early Saxons were invited here because Germanic Federal troups from the Roman Army had settled around York, Lincoln, Cambridge, Caistor and Canterbury and prepared the way for a slow infiltration by their countrymen quite early in the fifth Century. In 610 AD Rusholme, Stretford, Chorlton, Withington, Gorton and Droylesden (all near Manchester) became colonized by the Saxons.

    The Anglo-Saxon conquest and settlement of the lowlands of Britain was slow. The implication of this fact is great, if this is added to the further fact that over much of England, the Anglo-Saxons were agriculturists rather than Tribute Takers a basis is given for understanding why these centuries saw the true foundation of England. The Anglo-Saxons were also capable of exquisite craftsmanship, despite living in rudimentary houses, generally with wooden sides, with a door and thatched roof, but no windows. These settlements came to be ruled by powerful and widespread families. This was the start of 'Feudalism'.

    Bede knew where the Anglo-Saxons came from. He tells us in precise terms "They came from three very formidable races of Germany, The Saxons, the Angles and the Jutes. From the Jutes are descended the people of Kent, and those in the province of Kent opposite the Isle of Wight who are called Jutes to this day. From the Saxons, that is people from Old Saxony, came the East, South and West Saxons. And from the Angles, from the country known as Angulus which lies between the provinces of the Jutes and the Saxons, and remains unpopulated to this day, are descended the East and Middle Angles, the Mercia, all the Northumbrian peoples, that is those people living North of the river Humber, and other English peoples".

851AD .... In this year came three hundred and fifty ships to the mouth of the Thames and stormed Canterbury, and put to flight Beorhwulf King of Mercia with his levies and went then south over the Thames into Surrey. Aethalwulf and his son Aethalbald with the West Saxon levies fought against them at Acleah (another 'ley' ending!) and then made the greatest slaughter of a heathen host that we have ever heard of and there won victory.

921AD ... In this year, in late Autumn, King Edward went with his levies to Thelwall and had the fortress built, settled and garrisoned. While he was camped here, he ordered other levies, also drawn from Mercia to occupy Manchester in Northumbria, and had it repaired and garrisoned.   Manchester was then styled a city and named Mancenion by the Saxons. The Saxon Baron resided at Hunts Bank and erected a corn mill near Coronation Street, Manchester. The Family of Trafford settled in Mancenion in 1030 AD, also of Saxon origin and one of the most ancient families in the region.

    The Anglo-Saxon Age is reckoned as being from circa 400AD to 1042 AD.

    William the Bastard, sometimes known as 'The Conqueror' was a relative of Edward the Confessor, and was probably the rightful successor to the throne when Edward died. This actually means that the Norman's were already here before William came and vanquished Harold in 1066. William was so unsure of his position as king that he would not allow his soldiers to go on the Crusades!

SURNAMES
    The Chinese were the first to have surnames around 2,852 B.C.. These came from one of the 438 words of the Sacred Chinese Poem 'Po-Chia-Hsing'. Although there are 438 words, in practise only a few popular ones are used.

    The early Romans had only one name, later they started using three; a 'prae-nom' (forename), followed by a 'nomen' name and then a 'cognomen' a family name.

    In the Middle Ages people had a single 'given' name but gradually the custom arose of giving a second 'descriptive' name in order to identify people, especially necessary for the collection of taxes. These 'descriptive' names were not hereditary; by the 12th Century this practise had become widespread.

    The Irish used Surnames from the 10th Century as they were important in the passing on of land.

    The modern use of surnames began in the aristocracy of Venice in Italy during the 10th or 11th Century. This would have been noted by the Crusaders and the practice brought to Britain.     By 1370 surnames were to be found in documents, and by 1450 most people of all social classes would have had surnames.

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1086 AD .... "The undistinguished little settlement of BLACKLEY contained twelve mills, shared, it is true, with Ditchford and Icomb." This was around 1086 according to the Domesday Book.

By the last few years of the ninth Century, in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire, independent rulers maintained themselves until early in the next century they were dislodged by Norse settlers, mainly from Ireland. Northumbria by now was no more than a geographical expression. Manchester and Blackley were of course in the province of Lancashire which was in Northumbria, but most of the political power had by now devolved to the local provinces.

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