Jelley

This most interesting surname is a diminutive of "Julian", itself originating from a medieval personal name from the Latin "Iulianus", a derivative of "Julius", a Roman family name, meaning "the supreme god". Julian was the name borne by a number of early saints, the best known of them being the legendary St. Julian the Hospitaller, the patron saint of travellers, and was found as a personal name in England from the 13th Century onwards. From this source also, the surnames Julyan, Julian, Jolland, Jalland, Golland, Jellicoe, Gillian and Jolle, ultimately derive. Julian de Horbelighe and Juliana de Habetoren are recorded in the "Social and Economic Documents of London", circa 1187. Recordings from English Church Registers include: the marriage of Thomas Jellye and Allice Ellet on June 6th 1575, at St. Mary the Virgin, Dover, Kent; the marriage of Wyllam Jellye and Annys Wiles on September 26th 1580, at the same place; and the marriage of William Jelly and Martina Harrison on August 20th 1639, at All Hallows, London Wall, London. Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Jelley commanded a regiment of soldiers in the Barbadoes in 1679. A Coat of Arms was granted to a Jelley or Jelly family, depicting a black chevron on an ermine field. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Jeely, which was dated December 6th 1564, a christening witness at Goodnestone by Sandwich, Kent, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.