EARLIEST REFERENCES

The Stanley name derives for the Old English(Saxon)Staen meaning stone and leah meaning a clearing or field.

Adam de Audithleigh came over with William the Conquerer. Audithleigh being the name of his estates in Normandy. He had two sons Lyulph and Adam. From Lyulph descended the Lords Audley of Cheshire, but Adam married a Lady Helen Stanley of Leek in Staffordshire. The Stanley name was already old by this time and Adam took on her surname. The first reference I have found on the International Genealogical Index (IGI) is for an Adam de Stanley born in 1075 at Audithleigh, Staffordshire. From this line were descended the illustrious Stanleys of Knowlsley and their senior line at Alderley.

Since rumour had it that we were related to the Earls of Derby I have tried to find local links, but these have proved exceptionally tenuous.

In Peter Stanley's book "The House of Stanley from the 12th Century" published by Pentland Press in 1998 it emerges that a number of Stanleys held office in Macclesfield Forrest, which then extended as far north as Mottram in Longdendale, back to a Richard de Stanleigh who held office under Ranulf, Earl of Chester from 1181-1232.

In a new publication "Lands and Lordships in Tameside", on the occasion of the death of John Lovell in 1465 the manors of Mottram in Longdendale, Tyngetwisell and Longdendale were leased by the Crown to Sir William Stanley until 1477.

According to the IGI a Fardinando Stanley maried Martha Sellars at Marple in 1726 and they in turn had a son William baptised at Denton in 1746. This Fardinando Stanley dates back to a Ferdinando Stanley of Broughton born in 1622 who was given the Royal Grant of the Manor of Broughton in 1678. Ferdinando of Broughton was the grandson of Henry Earl of Derby who married Margaret Clifford, the great granddaughter of Henry VII, at the Royal Chapel at Whitehall on 7th February 1555. He was named after his Uncle Ferdinando who met with sudden death in an abortive attempt to further his claim to the ageing Elizabeth's throne.

So far the above links have only been an interesting diversion. Ferdinando seems the closest both in time and geography to our early line, but I feel sure that a name like Ferdinando would have resurfaced somewhere through the generations. There is also the remotest chance that links with Mottram may have some substance, but it seems that claims to noble blood are more likely to be the product of someone's imagination.

Gay J Oliver © 2001 - all rights reserved