Origin of the Tuckley's - Medieval Yardley

1275 - 1462

Medieval Yardley

Introduction

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Introduction

The earliest reference to the name Yardley was in the
year 972.It was a small hamlet in the Forest of Arden and
the spelling was Gyrdleahe [yer-lee]. Today Yardley
is a suburb of Birmingham.

	After the Battle of Hastings and the Conquest of England, a period of stability led to a population explosion in the 12th and 13th centuries and surnames started to become a necessity.
1275 1327	The first written references found to the name TUKK with the ending LEYE appear in 1275 and 1327 in the Lay Subsidy Rolls listing the names of the tax payers in Yardley:- 1275 William de Tukkeleye 1327 Richard de Tokeley The details are given in a publication by Victor Skipp entitled "Medieval Yardley". The very early surnames had the prefix "de" from the French language which would indicate a place name.
1350	The English language superseded French as the official court language in 1350. Consequently the use of the word "de" , disappeared, and the spelling of surnames assumed the modern format that we use today. In the early written records the letters "a", "o" and "u" were very interchangeable.
1381	The Tukkeley family were one of 25 families who survived the Great Famine [1315 to 1317] and the Black Death [1381] and lived to form the basis of the the fifteenth century Yardley community.
1392	The first reference found to the name without the use of the "de" occurs in 1392 Richard Tukkeley He was identifed as the Chaplain to the vicar of St Edburghs Church, Yardley.

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