The Comley Family

Ancestors, relations and anything else!

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I am researching the Comley family and variations of the name. This branch of my family (my mother’s maiden name was COMLEY) seem to have originated in Wiltshire but there are other areas nearby, in Gloucestershire and Berkshire/Oxfordshire with large numbers of COMLEYs.

Index page links:
Oldest reference
Photos
BMD certificates
Census transcriptions
Wills
COMLEYs by place
Trade directories
Individuals
Alumni
Military
Gedcom files
Mailing lists

I was told by my mother that her surname was spelled as COMLEY, and not COMELY, as a corruption of Cholmondeley (pronounced Chumley), but looking back at records, there is no evidence for this. I now believe that the -LEY spelling is probably the oldest, but some branches became -ELY simply because of the way it was recorded by priests and later, registrars.  The name has been found as COMLEY, COMELEY, COMELY, COMLY, COMBLY and even (on a birth certificate as the father’s name) CRUMBLY! There are even more transcription errors, including, commonly, CORNLEY – an obvious mis-read of rn for m.
In Hampshire, the name seems to have changed to COMLAY in the first half of the 1800s. More on this can be found at Bob Comlay's website.

Ancestry.com has the following:

What does the Comley name mean?
Last Name: Comley
English: habitational name, probably from Comley in Shropshire or Combley on the Isle of Wight; both are named with Old English cumb ‘valley’ + leah ‘woodland clearing’.

As I have found no COMLEYs originating in Shropshire, and only one reference (a will) on the Isle of Wight, the above should be taken with a big pinch of salt!

Oldest Reference
The oldest reference yet found to a COMLEY is in Bristol Record Office. The following is from the Online Catalogue:
Smyth family of Ashton Court
Deeds
Manor of Elmington in Henbury, Gloucestershire.

Level Item
RefNo AC/D/6/8
Title Lease 1) William Champeneys of Aylminton' 2) Edward de Leye two acres and four strips (seillones) of land of which one acre lies in the `cultura' which is called Emenhulle between land of William fitzWarun and of Thomas de Bradewelle and one head extends to the land of lord Richard de Greynvile at Hulkestede and the other to the meadow of Aylminton' and one acre lies at E---brygge ? between meadow of lord Richard de Greynvile and of William fitzWarun' and land of Robert de Bradewelle and one head extends to land of Nicholas de Berewyk' and the other to land of lady Simonda de Oldebury and the four strips lie in the field of Cumptone between land of Nicholas de Berewyk' and of Torephym de Aylminton' and one head extends to the wood of the said William Champeneis; to hold for term of his life paying annually to Wm. and his heirs 2s. at the four usual terms. For this grant Edward gives 7 marks of silver. Clause of warranty against all men and women Witnesses: Robert de Comley Thomas de Styntescumbe Thomas de Amby Nicholas de Berewyk' Walter Randulf of Cumptone.
Date [late 13C.]
AccessStatus Open

Nearly all the names given are in the form 'Someone of Somewhere' so is Comley a place somewhere in what is now North Bristol? It is possible that it is what is now known as Coombe Dingle. Was this once known as Coombe Leigh, reduced to Comley? If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!

Otherwise, the earliest references seem to be Gloucestershire, with Wiltshire (and an area near the Gloucestershire border) coming next.

Photos
Click on photos for larger pictures and details

	Elizabeth COMLEY, nee Harding, and children, the Great grandmother of Roberta DeMott-Friberg
	Wedding of Harry John MEAD and Eleanor Margaret COMLEY

Census Transcriptions:
These have now been moved to a separate page

Wills:

Index of Wills from National Probate Calendar:
The index of names will now be found on the Wills page

Australia
India
South Africa

Berkshire
Devonshire
Glamorgan
Gloucestershire
Hampshire
Lincolnshire
London
Monmouthshire
Oxfordshire
Somerset
Warwickshire
Wiltshire

Trade Directories:
Brian Beeche Comley has transcribed a number of these from the University of Leicester's Historical Directories website and they can be found by clicking here

Individuals:
Where I have found extra relating to specific individuals, there will be links to them.

Alumni Oxoniensis
This is a set of books listing all known members of Oxford University from 1500 to 1886. For further information see Archive CD Books, where they are available on CDs. All the following are from the first set (1500-1714). No COMLEYs were listed in the second set (1715-1886)

The following COMLEYs are listed:

Comley, Henry	of co. Hereford. GLOUCESTER HALL, matric. 22 Nov., 1581, aged 18
Comley, James (Comly)	'seru.,' pleb. BALLIOL COLL., matric 23 Feb., 1647-8, aged 16
Comley, John (Comeley)	of co. Gloucester, pleb. GLOUCESTER HALL, matric 12 April, 1594, aged 19
Comley, Richard	'serviens,' of co. Gloucester. ST JOHN'S COLL., matric. Nov., 1581, aged 15: administration to a bachelor of these names, granted at Oxford 19 Nov., 1632

Military
Canadian Expeditionary Force, WWI
The Canadian Government has scanned, and published on the web, the attestation papers of most of those who signed up for the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War One. Both front and back of the papers are shown.
The following COMLEYs are listed:

Wiltshire Militia:
Comleys who served in the Wiltshire Militia:

Old Bailey Proceedings:
Henry and Edmund Comley 1828
James Comley a constable, 1801
James Comley, Beadle of Queenhithe Ward, 1804
James Comley, Beadle of Queenhithe Ward, 1805
James Comley, Beadle of Queenhithe Ward, 1805

Gedcom files:
Gedcoms files are loaded on WorldConnect. There should not be any living persons shown.

Click for my Comley Gedcom on WorldConnect site. This has all Comleys, with the exception of those related to me, that I have found so far, with descendants.

Click for my Mead Gedcom on WorldConnect site. This has all ancestors including COMLEYS with a connection to me

Mailing lists:

	Comley list

There is a mailing list for the discussion and sharing of information regarding the Comley surname and variations in any place and at any time. To subscribe send "subscribe" as both subject and message to (mail mode) or (digest mode) or use the buttons above. You are unlikely to be inundated with e-mails from this list - it is fairly quiet!

It is intended to include some of my other ancestor details here as well – it may lead to other links turning up and brick walls being demolished!