Parmley surname?

[scott76]

Any thoughts of what the Parmley name is? What is it possibly derived from? I hear alot of different things I even heard Italian, so I figured I would ask you. Thanks for your help in advance.

[maestra36]

Hello and welcome to the forum-
a quick internet search of the surname yielded the following, but I can't vouch for this information:

Parmley
Recorded as Parley, Parmley, and possibly others, this is an English locational surname. It originates either from the Parley villages in the county of Dorset known as East and West Parley, or from some now 'lost' medieval village whose name probably means 'Pear farm' or similar. This is from the pre 7th century Olde English 'per-leah'. Locational surnames are 'from' names. They are the most popular grouping within the surnames listings. They were generally given to people after they left their original villages to move somewhere else. Spelling over the centuries being at best indifferent, and local accents very thick, soon lead to the creation of 'sounds like' spellings. Lost villages are also a ferature of surname lstings. It is estimated that at leadt three thousand modern surnames originate from villages whose only public record in the late 20th century is the surviving surname. In this case early examples of the surname recordings taken from surviving church registers of Greater London include Dorothey Parley who married Robert Osgood at St Margarets Westminster, on October 1st 1650, and two centuries later that of Jonathon Parmley and his wife Jane, who were christening witnesses at St Botolphs Bishopgate, on June 11th 1854.

[maestra36]

The surname of PARMLEY was originally derived from the Old French PAUMER, meaning one who made pilgrimage to the Holy Land, so called from the palm branch he carried. Such pilgrims generally brought back a palm branch as proof that they had actually made the journey, but there was a vigorous trade in false souvenirs, and the term also came to be applied to a cleric who sold indulgences. The name was originally brought into England in the wake of the Norman Invasion of 1066, and PALMERE (without surname) who was recorded in County Kent in 1086, appears to be the first of the name on record. The name is also spelt PALMER, PARMELE, PARMLY and PARMALEE. Many of the early names recorded in medieval documents denote noble families but many also indicate migration from the continent during, and in the wake of, the Norman invasion of 1066. There was a constant stream of merchants, workmen and others arriving in England during this time. In 1086 the Record of Great Inquisition of lands of England, their extent, value, ownership and liabilities was made by order of William The Conqueror. It is known as the Domesday book. Other records of the name mention Ralph de le Palmere of the County of Yorkshire in 1273. Ricardus Palmer, mason, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Roger le Palmere of the County of Middlesex was documented in the year 1440. Henry Palmer and Agnes Hayes were married at St. James's, Clerkenwell, London in 1565. The bulk of European surnames in countries such as England and France were formed in the 13th and 14th centuries. The process started earlier and continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the 11th century people did not have surnames, whereas by the 15th century they did. In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. In Hotten's 'The Original Lists of Persons of Quality' which includes emigrants, religious exiles, political rebels, serving men sold for a term of years, apprentices, children stolen, maidens pressed and others, who went to America from Great Britain to the American Plantations between 1600 and 1700 is included John PALMERLEY (aged 20) who sailed for New England in 1635 in the ship the 'Elizabeth and Ann'.

[scott76]

Wow you guys are great, and fast. So I assume English then? The Parmley name is a mess in record hahaha so I guess I cant really have any one definite answer.

[maestra36]

A dictionary of English and Welsh surnames: with special American instances By Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

You can see this book on www.googlebooks.com

p. 585 is where he talks about the surname and states:

"I cannot find the spot, though doubtless it exists in the south of England, nor can I discover any trace of the surname on English soil. It went out to America with the Pilgrim Fathers as Palmerly, i.e., the meadow that belonged to the palmer.

[scott76]

hahaha see its messed up lol! Palmer from what I found is Italian. Parmley, derived from Palmerly, Palmerly derived from Palmer. I dont know what to think. Your great help maestra36, I do really apprectiate your helping me with this. My family dosent have very good record of our past.

[vj]

Hi!
If you'd like us to help you look for your family's records in the US
You only need to give us a few 'known' facts:
Name
Birth Date and Location
Location where the family lived
Spouse
Children
etc
US records should lead you backward to the immigrant ancestor(s)

[maestra36]

The first two posts I made above were from websites that sell coats of arms and research family names for a price. That's why I can't say how reliable their information is. I think that looking for surname dictionaries, or etymology works on the origin of surnames, written by more reliable sources, is the way to go. The surname Parmley, in any of its forms, is not in my book called Our Italian Surnames written by Prof Joseph G Fucilla. This is specifically a book about the origin of Italian surnames, but because the surname is not in this book, does not mean that it wasn't of such origin. Obviously the author could not trace the origin of every Italian surname that exists.
Peg

[wldspirit]

Vj makes an excellent point, it is better to trace the family in records, and determine exactly where they came from in order to better understand the name itself. Surnames can be imported, as well as corrupted.
Take one of my surnames for example, very rare in Italy, no mention of it anywhere historically, wasn't even listed as a root name, took some time, but I discovered it is imported from another country to the North of Italy.

Then there is my maiden name....the spelling is practically non existent anywhere in the world, with diligent research we were able to find the original spelling, as the name had been corrupted over time.

[PeterTimber]

There is a birth for Parmlee, 1584 in All Saints, Lewes County, England and by 1643, Parmley in Durham...follow the name. www.familysearch.org

=Peter=