Due to a web site on the subject of old placenames in England, I have been
discussing with a man in man in England the variant spellings of Chamlee or
Chamblee, specifically why "Chamberlain" is used as a variant in Johnston Co
NC tax records with Jarred Chamblee so much, and in Anderson Co SC and TN
records for Jacob and others. Anne and I have long mused over this.
I have wondered what a "Brit" would have to say, since he speaks the
"mother
tongue". It looks like the person below consulted the same books I did at the
Salt Lake Family History Library several years ago. I am making no statements
here, but when checking old parish registers in England, the name CHAMLEY and
sometimes CHAMBLEY in early 1700's or late 1600's was always concentrated in
certain counties. Long ago I was in contact witht he CHOMONDELEY organization
and they have no connections to anyone we are related to. It was quite an
aristocratic family in the British Isles. In our FHC we have a VERY large and
rare book about the Chomondeleys with all their lineage, so I didn't have to
really hunt very hard years ago to find this info.
At the time I was looking for pockets of surnames in various counties in
England I also consulted many wills and estate records in England but could
get nowhere on a mention of any relatives in the United States. Obviously I
didn't hit the right records yet. Still trying...
And for the prolific oral history in our family that "3 or 6 brothers came
from Ireland OR England", there are no "Chamblee or Chambly or Chambley or
Chamlee or Chamley,etc" spellings in Ireland or Scotland before 1730 when our
people were already in Bertie Co NC. Naturally all the red hair in the
Chamblee/Chamlee families and the writing of family history in the late 1800's
indicating Robert Chamblee was red-headed leads one to believe there must be
an Irish component. Many narratives are possible, one being they lived in
England, a small branch left for Ireland (even though I cannot isolate the
surname in that country early, it's possible) and later came to America. Who
knows. Getting early American settlers across the ocean to their points of
origin is always so tough with record loss possible.
It's best to be very cautious in making statements in you family histories
about where we came from. The oral history of "...brothers from Ireland or
England" did NOT mean those brothers were Robert, George, Isaac, etc. It
probably meant three OTHER brothers, great uncles of these boys. We have
enough early Chambly types in Virginia and a few mentionings of old John
Chamblee in Bertie Co NC we've never once doubted this oral history did NOT
mean this boys. Some oral history in some families indicates it was parents or
grandparents of these boys who first came.
Just wanted you to know the latest.
D'Ann (I will say Anne and Jack concur, both discussed this widely with them,
Jack and I worked out a little map once on the growth of this name in England)
****************************
Hi
I have looked up Chamblee in the authorities that I usually refer to. I
can find no precise reference but the following may be of interest. You
must remember that, unless the person referred to was literate and present
at the time the name was written, there were no fixed spellings of names
until about 100 years ago - the scribe wrote the sound he heard according
to his spelling conventions. Both the sound and the spelling conventions
varied over time.
----From English Surnames by P H Reaney & R M Wilson----
Chamberlain
VARIANTS: Chamberlaine, Chamberlayne, Chamberlen, Chamberlin, Champerlen:
EARLY FORMS:
-Henry le canberlain in the reign of Henry II;
-Geoffrey le Chaumberleng in 1194 in Curia Regis Rolls
-Robert canberlenc in 1195 in Feet of Fines
-Thomas Chamberleng 'seruiens Regis' in 1196 in Pipe Rolls;
-Martin le Chamberleyn in1232 in Feet of Fines,
-Thomas le Chaumberlyn in 1293 in Assizes;
MEANING: Old French chamberlain, -len, -lane, -lenc, = 'officer charged
with the management of the private chambers of a sovereign or nobleman' (a
1225 New English Dictionary).
Chambers:
EARLY FORMS:
-Nicholas de Chambres in 1219 in Curia Regis Rolls;
-Stephen de la Chambre in 1240 in Feet of Fines.
MEANING:
Middle English chaumbre from Old French chambre = 'room (in a house)',
reception room in a palace' (1225 New English Dictionary).
Originally an official, identical with Chamberlain.
To pay in cameram was to pay into the exchequer of which the camerarius was
in charge.
The surname also applies to those employed there. cf. Nicholas atte Chambre
dictus Clerk in 1351 Assizes.
It was later used of a chamber-attendant, 'chamberman, chambermaid'.
Chambley: see CHOLMONDELEY
Cholmondeley
VARIANTS: Cholmeley, Chumley, Chumbley, Chambley:
EARLY FORMS:
-Hugh de Chelmundeleg in 1288 in Assizes;
-Thomas Chobmeley in 1567 in Bardsley;
-William, Chombley in 1666 ditto;
-Susanna Chumbly in 1689 ditto;
-John Chumley in 1726 ditto.
-Roger Chomley (refered to in 1493 in Register of the Guild of Corpus
Christi of York) was a son of Richard Chamley (1502) or Sir Richard
Cholmley (Ed.).
MEANING: From Cholmondeley (Cheshire).
----From The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Place-names by Eilert Ekwall----
Cholmondeley Cheshire
PRONOUCIATION: tshumli
EARLY FORMS:
-Calmundelei in Domesday Book
-Chelmundeleg in 1287 court records
MEANING: 'Ceolmund's LEAH (usually = clearing but can mean wood or grove)
I've tried to unscramble all the shorthand used in the two books - I hope
it makes sense
Best wishes
Hugh Turrall-Clarke