The Surname Whaley

Whalley was the site of an early Christian church. It was established perhaps as early as the 7th century, but probably by the 10th century, although Christian influences may have been at work since Roman times. After the Norman conquest, about 1080, another church was built on the site. It burned and was rebuilt. The present church appears to have been started about 1200. This church contains a stained glass window dating from the early 1800�s, which features several family coats of arms, including one for Whalley of Clerk Hill. A Whalley family burial vault is near the vestry door. Whalley is also the site of a large and important Cistercian monastery, Whalley Abby which dates from about 1300.

The Whalley area is also famous, or infamous for a coven of witches who were supposed to have met on nearby Pendle Hill in the 1600's. Pendle Hill, NE of Whalley, is also the site where George Fox had a vision in 1652 and went on to found the Society of Friends (Quakers).

The earliest person I have found identified with the surname Whaley was a Norman named Wyamarus. The Normans were originally from Scandinavia (Norse men) who conquered and settled Normandy in France. William, king of the Normans, invaded and conquered England, and was thereafter called William the Conqueror. According to one source, Wyamarus was William's standard bearer at the Battle of Hastings and was awarded the lands around Whalley in 1067 for his services in that battle. He then became known as Wyamarus de Walley or Wyamarus Whalley.

One legend says that Wyamarus was a huge man, 6 feet 7 inches in his stocking feet. He swung the largest battle-ax in England and is said to have cut a man cleanly in two in the Battle of Hastings. The lineage of Wyamarus Whalley is recorded for at least 10 generations and the Whalley name was spread throughout England. In England having an ancestor whom came over with William the Conqueror is akin to having been descended from the Mayflower colonists in the United States. Apparently many wishful or fraudulent genealogies claiming such ties abound, but I have not found the lineage of Wyamarus Whalley to have been questioned. Unfortunately, due to the English practice of primogeniture, often only the first born son was recorded. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Whalley family intermarried with many important English families and lived the lives of country gentry and clergy. The Whalley manor house was located in the town of Whalley (a tavern is located on the site today). Unfortunately at some time the House of Whalley was dissolved and the Whalley lands were lost. Sometime later one of the Whalleys repurchased some of the ancestral lands around Clerk Hill near Whalley. I have not determined what happened or why.

Clearly some Whalleys have been at odds with the English power structure. Edward Whalley was a cousin of Oliver Cromwell and fought in Cromwell's army. Other Whalley relations were advisors to Cromwell. Edward Whalley and his son-in-law William Goffe both signed King Charles I's death warrant and were present at his execution. When Cromwell died and England reverted to a monarchy, Whalley and Goffe fled to the colonies. They were hidden in various locations for many years and there is controversy about where Edward Whalley died.

Some claim that all present day Whalleys are descendants of Wyamarus. The same may be true of all Whaleys also, as "Whaley" is one variant of "Whalley". Some authors consider Whaley to be the American spelling of Whalley. In the days of handwriting it was common to abbreviate double letters to single ones, perhaps to save time, effort or paper. Perhaps some of our ancestors just couldn't spel very wel. Numerous other spellings have been recorded; Whalay, Whallay, Wayley, Walley, Whallay, Whallaye, Whallage, Whale, Wale, Whaly, Whalie, Whawley, Whauley, Wallie, and Walay. I'm sure others could be found.

Besides the differences in spelling of the name Whaley, there are differences in pronunciation. The pronunciation used in Lancashire, the location of the town Whalley, is wall-e or wool-e. Other Whalleys and especially Whaleys pronounce their name whale-e. I think that the wall-e pronunciation is becoming more familiar because of the prominence of the movie star Joanne Whalley (formerly Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) and movie director Frank Whaley.

The coat-of-arms of many of the Whaley families contain whales heads, so it is natural to ask whether the name Whaley is related to the sea mammal. A connection between the name Whaley and whales has been discounted. The use of whales in the coat-of-arms has been likened to the use of the lion, both animals being the strongest that inhabit the water and land respectively. Who knows? Using a whale on the Whaley coat-of-arms could have been a medieval pun. I can believe that a whale might have been deemed appropriate for a giant whale of a man, Wyamarus.

Besides the town Whalley and the nearby Whalley Nab, I have discovered several other places named after Whaleys. In England there is a town called Whaley Bridge 20 miles southeast of Manchester. and there may be another Whalley hill (or the reference may be to Whalley Nab). Whalley Range is a suburb of Manchester. It was recently described as "�mostly bed sits and student flats. It is not a desirable place to live�unless you are a drug dealer, prostitute or struggling, misunderstood poet."

There is a Whalley Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut and a Whalley Place in Seattle, WA. Whalley Place is named for John Ackroyd Whalley, who became a Washington state Senator. There is a Whaley lake (or Whally pond) in Duchess County, New York. Whaleysville is in Worcester County, Maryland and Whaleyville is in Virginia near the North Carolina border east of the Great Dismal Swamp. Vancouver, BC has a suburb called Whalley. There is also a Whaley Ferry Road in New Site, Alabama named for my ancestor Isham W. Whaley.