Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Firth-Heatley; exemplified to John Firth, Esq., of the city of Waterford, on his assuming, by royal licence, 1848, the surname and arms of Heatley, in compliance with the will of his maternal uncle, Charles Heatley, Esq., of Rockview, co. Waterford).
2) Vert on a bend ar. betw. two boars’ heads erased or, three mullets of the field. Crest—A sword erect entwined by two snakes all ppr.
3) Or, on a bend vert three boars' heads erased sa.

Origin, Meaning and Family History of the Heatley Name

Heatley Origin:

England

Origins of Heatley:

This interesting and unique surname, with different spelling forms like Heatly, Heatlie, and Haitlie, is of English geographical origin from any one of the different places named with the Old English pre 7th Century “hoeth,” which means grassland and the Old English “leah,” which means a forest or clearing. These places one of which, Heatley, was a village in the northwest of Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, and Heatley in the Lymm civil division of Cheshire, listed as Hethileg in 1286, “City Court Rolls of Chester.” The surname was first noted in Scotland in the first part of the 13th Century where the name is still spread widely. One, Robert de Hetlye enchanted lands in Faunes and Melockstan in 1270, and in 1296, Alexander de Hateleye carried out homage at Elgyn en Morreve. Johanna Hethele and Robertus de Hetlegh, was recorded in 1379, “Census Tax Returns of Yorkshire,” were the earliest noted ancestors of the name in England. The surname is now mostly present in Scotland, Northumberland and Northern Ireland.

Variations:

More common variations are: Heateley, Heaitley, Hatley, Heatly, Hetley, Heatle, Headley, Hateley, Heatlie, Hattley.

England:

The surname Heatley first appeared in Staffordshire where they held a family seat as Kings of the Palace of Heighley (pronounced Heathley or Heatly). At the recording of the Domesday Book in 1086 by Duke William of Normandy after his invasion of England at Hastings in 1066, this hamlet was the King’s estate, but to proof to reconstructing, there survive the remains of a 13th-century palace at Heighley which was perhaps declined by an angry King. We next see Sir Robert of Keatlie far to the north in the estates of Mellerston just over the border in Scotland.

The very first recorded spelling of the family was shown to be that of Sir Robert de Hatteley, dated about 1230, in the “Records of the Abbey of Kelso,” Scotland. It was during the time of King Alexander II of Scotland, dated 1214-1249. The origin of surnames during this period became a necessity with the introduction of personal taxation. It came to be known as Poll Tax in England.

Ireland:

Many of the people with surname Heatley had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:

Some of the people with the name Heatley who arrived in the United States in the 19th century included John Heatley landed in Kansas in 1837.

Australia:

Some of the individuals with the name Heatley who landed in Australia in the 19th century included Mary Heatley arrived in South Australia in the year 1855 aboard the ship “Mallard.”

New-Zealand:

Some of the population with the surname Heatley who arrived in New Zealand in the 19th century included George Heatley arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship “Oxford” in the year 1874.

Here is the population distribution of the last name Heatley: United States 1,575; England 1,156; Australia 371; Northern Ireland 310; Canada 211; Wales 147; New Zealand 144; South Africa 110; Scotland 85; France 61.

Notable People:

Basil Heatley (born 1933), is a British sportsman.

Bill Heatley (1920–1971), was an Australian leader.

Bob Heatley (born 1895), is an Australian football player.

Craig Heatley (born 1956), is a New Zealand businessman.

Danny Heatley (musician), was a British drummer.

Dany Heatley (born 1981), is a Canadian ice hockey player.

David Heatley (born 1974), is an American Illustrator.

Jason Heatley (born 1972), is an Australian football player.

Johnny Rock Heatley was an American guitar manufacturer.

Murray Heatley (born 1948), is a Canadian ice hockey player

Michael Heatley was a writer.

Norman George Heatley (1911–2004), was a scientist.

Philip Reeve Heatley (born 1967), is a New Zealand leader.

Ramsay Heatley Traquair (1840–1912), was a Scottish naturalist.

Spike Heatley (born 1933), is a British jazz bassist.

Tamsin Heatley was a British actress.

Heatley Coat of Arms Meaning

The three main devices (symbols) in the Heatley blazon are the mullet, bend and boar’s head. The three main tinctures (colors) are vert, or and argent .

The deep green colour that is so often observed in heraldry is more properly known as vert. According to Wade, the use of this colour signifies “Hope and Joy”, but may also represent, rather delightfully, “Loyalty in Love” ¹The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P36. It has other names also, the French call it sinople, perhaps after a town in Asia Minor from where the best green die materials could be found ²A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Vert. More fanciful heralds liked to associate it with the planet venus and the precious stone emerald ³Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 27. More strangely, there is some evidence that the term prasin was anciently used, being the Greek for the vegetable we call the Leek!

The bright yellow colour frequently found in coats of arms is known to heralds as Or, or sometimes simply as Gold.⁴Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 27. Along with, argent, or silver it forms the two “metals” of heraldry – one of the guidelines of heraldic design is that silver objects should not be placed upon gold fields and vice versa ⁵A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P85. The yellow colour is often associated with the Sun, and the zodiacal sign of Leo.⁶Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P53.

Argent is the heraldic metal Silver and is usually shown as very pure white. It is also known more poetically as pearl, moon (or luna) ⁷Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P53. In a sketch or drawing it is represented by plain, unmarked paper ⁸A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1847, P11.

The heraldic mullet, not to be confused with the fish of that name, is shown as a regular, five pointed star. This was originally, not an astronomical object, but represented the spur on a horseman’s boot, especially when peirced, with a small circular hole in the centre it represents a type of spur known as a “rowel” ⁹Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 97. A clear example can be found in the arms of Harpendene, argent, a mullet pierced gules. The ancient writer Guillim associated such spurs in gold as belonging to the Knight, and the silver to their esquires ¹⁰A Display of Heraldry, J. Guillim, Blome, London, 1679, P107. In later years, Wade linked this five pointed star with the true celestial object, the estoile and termed it a “falling star”, symbolising a “divine quality bestowed from above” ¹¹The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P105.

The bend is a distinctive part of the shield, frequently occuring and clearly visible from a distance – it is a broad band running from top left to bottom right ¹²Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 39-40. Indeed, so important is the bend that it was the subject of one of the earliest cases before the English Court of Chivalry; the famous case of 1390, Scrope vs Grosvenor had to decide which family were the rightful owners of Azure, a bend or (A blue shield, with yellow bend). ¹³A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P22. The bend is held in high honour and may signify “defence or protection” and often borne by those of high military rank ¹⁴The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P49.

In the middle ages, the wild boar, a far more fearsome creature than its domesticated relative, the pig was a much more commonly seen animal than today. It was also known as a sanglier. ¹⁵Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 72 It can appear in many of the same poses that we see for the lion, but has its own (easily imagined!) position known as enraged! ¹⁶A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Boar We should not be surprised then that this “fierce combatant” is said to be associated with the warrior. ¹⁷The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P67