Deciphering the Wyles Enigma of Duddington
By Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD
I contacted Oxford University Press investigating my original theory that ‘Wyles’ was the older spelling, and ‘Wiles’ a more contemporary variation, or even an unrelated name. I received a reply on the 1.4.2009 from Margot Charlton – an expert in the Oxford English Dictionary. This academic referenced A Dictionary of English Surnames by PH Reaney and RM Wilson (Routledge: third edition, 1991), stating that Wiles-Wyles are treated as various forms of the same name, and not as separate names (example included). Furthermore, the dictionary demonstrated that ‘Wiles’ appeared more frequently than ‘Wyles’. Included in this response were a number of photocopied pages from the book entitled the ‘Oxford Companion to the English Language’ (ed. T McArthur, OUP 1992), concerning the use of ‘y’ and ‘i’ in the English language. The ‘y’ is pronounced ‘wy’ (rhyming with ‘high’) and is the 25th letter of the Roman alphabet as used for the English language. It originated as one of two letters derived by the Greeks, as a means to express the Phoenician consonant symbol ‘waw’ (). The Greek letter upsilon (Y, lower case u) had a value like u, which Latin wrote as V. Only later did the Romans adopt the form Y as a separate letter specifically to transliterate Greek upsilon, adding it to the end of the alphabet (z being a latter addition still). It appears that after the Norman Conquest (1066), a trend developed within the written English language of replacing an ‘i’ (pronounced ’eye‘) with a ‘y’ (wy). At this time the fronted u was increasingly spelt in the French fashion as u, making y available as an alternative to ’i’. Even so, there was not much consistency in the use of ’i’ and ’y’ - with both being used interchangeably. These observations begin to explain how ’Wi’ transitioned (virtually effortless) into ’Wy’, and how ’Wiles’ may well have becomes ’Wyles’. Quite literally a ’long i' was replaced with a ’long y’ (in an interesting aside, a Scottish acquaintance once stated to me that in Scotland, many people named ’Wyles’ have their name pronounced ’Wy-les’ (or ‘Why-less‘), which is considered the correct Gaelic pronunciation of the Anglicized clan name ’Wallace’).
What are examples of some early related names? It seems that ‘Wyles’ may have started as ‘Wile’ (occasionally ‘Wyle’). There is William de la Wile (1185), Robert le Wile (1195), John Wiles (1202), Osbert de Wila (1204), Adam de la Wile (1221), John, Robert Wyles (1251), Walter de la Wyle – Bishop of Salisbury (d, 1271) - a Founder of St Edmund’s College (Salisbury), and Walter, Thomas atte Wyle (1296), etc. One of the signatories of the 1291 Ragman Rolls was that of Thomas Wyles (Whyz), described as ‘burgenfis Sancti Johannis de Perth’. Later, there is Henry de la Wyle (fellow of Merton College, Oxford), who became Chancellor of Salisbury in 1313 (considered to be a relative of Bishop Walter de la Wyle). From this relatively small (but representative) sample we can deduce some very interesting facts. The habit of assuming a surname in the UK began with the Norman Barons after 1066 (who tended to name themselves after places in Northern France). This trend spread throughout the UK so that by 1400 most people possessed a surname of some kind. Names are derived from nicknames, physical attributes, counties, local areas, skills, trades, accomplishments, noble awards, and virtually any other attribute that could be described in a word. The use of the Norman-French ‘de la’ translates as ‘of the’, and it appears that the early recorded ancestors may have come from a geographical location described as ‘Wile’ or ‘Wyle’. Such places include ‘Wild’ in Berkshire, Monkton Wyld in Dorset and Wylam in Northumberland, etc. It is thought that the word ‘Wile’ or Wyle’ derives from the old English word ‘wil’ meaning ‘trick’ or ‘clever’, as used to describe the design, structure and functioning of a sophisticated mechanical device such as a windmill or trap. From at least 1256, the word ‘Wyle’ was used to describe a wicker trap for catching fish, especially eels. When used as a metonymic and turned into a plural, ‘Wiles’ or ‘Wyles’ refers to a trapper, or one who is in charge of fishing traps. As a metaphor it can also mean a ‘man of many wiles’, or a ‘clever’ person.
Around 119 years after the Norman Conquest of Britain we find the earliest mention of ‘Thomas de la Wile’ (1185). This probably refers to a place named ‘Wile’ rather than of an activity. However, just ten years later in the observable historical record there is ‘Robert le Wile’ (1195), which means ‘Robert the Wile’ and is strongly indicative of an activity, attribute or skill. This suggests a dual origination for this surname, a) geographical location(s), and b) a clever activity involving thinking, designing and building a mechanical device. A third category could be added whereby a ‘Wile’ or ‘Wyle’ denotes a geographical area or location where the activity of designing these mechanical devices has been known to have happened, or is ongoing. It is important to further note that a ‘Wile’ or ‘Wyle’ does not refer to a single or unique geographical location, but refers to many otherwise unconnected areas. John Wiles (1202) is the earliest spelling of ‘Wiles’ (136 years after the Norman Conquest) that I can find at the moment, with John, Robert Wyles (1251) being the earliest ‘Wyles’ (185 years after the Norman Conquest). Walter de la Wyle may well be the earliest example of ‘Wyle’, but we only have his death date (of 1271). If he had a life-span of the ‘mean average’ for a high-class man of that time, (barring injury, illness and war), he could well have lived around 48 years suggesting a birthdate of 1223. Another problem is that many of the dates that describe the people listed above are basically ‘snapshots’ of their lives denoting neither birth nor death, but a mention in a document of some kind.
Earliest ‘Wile’ = 1185
Earliest ‘Wiles’ = 1202
Earliest ‘Wyle’ = 1223 (?) See ‘Walter de la Wyle’ above.
Earliest ‘Wyles’ = 1251
(See the email from Dr Peter McClure referenced at the end of this article for more more up to date information).
From this evidence we may state that ‘Wile’ is older than ‘Wiles, ‘Wyle’ is older than ‘Wyles’, and that ‘Wiles’ is older than ‘Wyles’. This finding corresponds to the change in language ushered in by the Norman Conquest, and the new habit of swapping ‘i’ for a ‘y’ in a number of words. This would mean that as of 2019, the ‘Wiles’ - ‘Wyles’ surname is around 834 years old, but is this the end of the story? Not quite. There may have been two strands to this name – a British, Anglo-Saxon, Celtic lineage that pre-existed the Norman Conquest, and a post-Norman Conquest lineage which appears to have been of a high-class or minor ‘noble’ character (hence the early use of ‘de la’). The latter appears to have died-out, or eventually ‘merged’ with the latter, so that today the two are virtually indistinguishable. The earliest ‘Wyles’ I have so far found in the Lincolnshire area is that of ‘Richard Wyles’ in a court document dated to 1327. The earliest ‘Wyles’ in the village of Duddington (Northants), is ‘Robert Wyles’ dated to 1520 (see the 'Update' from Prof. Peter McClure on this matter below. We know now this reference to be '1530'. The earliest known 'Wyles' is that of 'William Wyles' and 'Johes' or 'John Wyles' recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Duddington in 1523-1524. This change does not inconvenience the facts too much in this essay, other than by slightly changing the mathematics, and only then in one minor area). This means that there is a gap of 196 years between Richard Wyles (who lived in Marnham), and Robert Wyles (described as a ‘Husbandman’) who lived between 1520-1566. Marnham (in Newark) is situated 50.9 miles north of Duddington. I have found two other ‘Wyles’ from the 1300s, and just two others from the 1400s – all described as residing in ‘Lincolnshire’ with no other details:
Henry Wyles of Grantham and wife Joan, (Lincolnshire) 18th year of Edward III - 1344 – legal document
John Wyles and Beatrice, (Lincolnshire) 43rd year of Edward III – 1369 – legal document
John Wyles (Lincolnshire) 7th year of Henry VI – 1429 – legal document
John Wyles (Lincolnshire) 16th year of Henry VI – 1438 – legal document
As Duddington used to be in Lincolnshire during this period, it is highly likely (but unconfirmed) that these people lived in (or close to) Duddington. In this area of East Northants, people who have this surname overwhelming spell it as ‘Wyles’, but there are a number of anomalies. For instance, Robert Wyles is reported as paying tax to Queen Elizabeth I in 1598 – with his name spelt ‘Wyles’ on the official document – but when he died in 1619, his gravestone (which is still visible in the graveyard of St Marys) was marked ‘Robert Wiles’ (with his wife - ‘Agnus Wiles’ not dying until 1646). Of the ten identified ‘Wyles’ graves (often denoting multiple occupants) only two spell the name ‘Wiles’. They are Robert and Agnus ‘Wiles’ from the 1600s (whose name is spelt ‘Wyles’ in official documents), and Thomas ‘Wiles’ (d. 1887) and his wife Ann ‘Wiles’, (who again, have their name spelt ‘Wyles’ in official documents). Stone masons might well have made errors in these two cases, or thought that the spelling of the name with an ‘i’ instead of a ‘y’ made little difference. Two other names chiselled upon the lower part of the vestry wall of St Mary’s Church are Robert Wyles (d. 1689), and Daringold Wyles (d. 1668). Of the four people buried during the 1600s (17th century), two spell their surname ‘Wiles’ (early to mid-1600s), whilst two others spell their surname ‘Wyles’ (late 1600s). Throughout the 1700s (18th century), all the visible graves carry the name ‘Wyles’, whilst only two people in the 1800s (19th century) spell their surname ‘Wiles’. Bearing in mind that official documents often contradict the spelling of ‘Wiles’, the statistical distribution of ‘i’ and ‘y’ in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church (Duddington) is as follows amongst the ten visible gravestones (and eighteen occupants):
1600s (17th century) = Wiles 50% - Wyles 50% (four occupants)
1700s (18th century) = Wyles 100% (two occupants)
1800s (19th century) = Wiles 20% - Wyles 80% (ten occupants)
1900s (20th century) = Wyles 100% (two occupants)
Prior to 1730, I am told that parish records are scarce for Duddington due to a flood in the local church which destroyed many of the documents recording events during the 1600s. Sometimes, a part of this body of knowledge can be found recorded in other documents stored in various libraries or records offices, etc. Having accessed the extant Baptism records for the Duddington area from 1650-1812 (courtesy of Mr Alan Clarke), an interesting picture emerges. There are 116 entries with 61 people called ‘Wiles’ (53%) and 54 people called ‘Wyles’ (47%). In 1771, there is recorded one ‘Elice Wile’ of Nassington. There are four people named ‘Wyles’ recorded between the years 1653-1687, three recorded as coming from Kettering and the fourth from Rushden. Of the 30 Duddington entries between 1735-1806, all spell their name as ‘Wyles’. As well as Duddington, places include Thorpe Achurch, Pitsford, East Carlton, Rushden, Kettering, Long Buckny, Newnham, Brampton Ash, Kettering, Brington, Thrapston, Wilbarston, Brampton Ash, Cottingham, Great Addington, Oundle, Ringstead, Wakerly and Kings Cliffe. Wakerly is 2.3 miles southwest of Duddington. Kings Cliffe is 4.7 miles south of Duddington. Nassington is 8.2 miles southeast of Duddington. East Carlton is 15.9 miles southwest of Duddington. Wilbarston is 16.8 miles southwest of Duddington. Brampton As is 18.4 miles southwest of Duddington. Kettering is 18.8 miles south of Duddington. Thorpe Achurch is 19.8 miles south of Duddington. Thrapston is 20.2 miles south of Duddington. Brington is 27 miles south of Duddington. Rushden is 30 miles south of Duddington. Long Buckby is 38.8 miles southwest of Duddington. Pitsford is 31.1 miles southwest of Duddington. Newnham is 47.5 miles southeast of Duddingtoon. Cottingham is 100.2 miles north of Duddington. Ringstead is 212 miles southwest of Duddington. Kettering and Rushden lie south of Duddington and it is in these two places that people spelled their name ‘Wyles’ during the mid to late 1600s when the trend was definitely in favour of ‘Wiles’. The latest recorded ‘Wiles’ on this list is dated to 1811, and refers to one ‘William Wiles’ of Brampton Ash.
In a similar light, I have accessed the records of Baptisms for the Duddington and surrounding areas for the years 1813-1843. There are 43 entries for this record, with 9 (20.9%) spelling the name ‘Wiles, and 34 (79.1%) spelling the name ‘Wyles’. All the 15 entries for Duddington (starting in 1813) spell the name ‘Wyles’, with ‘Wiles’ occurring in Little Addington, Oundle, Brampton Ash and Stoke Albany areas. All these places lie to the south of Duddington. Oundle (of Peterborough) is 12.6 miles southeast of Duddington. Stoke Albany (of Market Harborough) lies 18.2 miles southwest of Duddington. Brampton Ash (of Market Harborough) lies 18.4 miles southwest of Duddington. Little Addington (of Kettering) lies 23.5 miles south of Duddington. This data demonstrates that a smaller number of people carried the ‘Wiles’ name over-all in the general area between 1813-1843, but that everyone from Duddington for the same time period, and without exception, spelt their name ‘Wyles.
In the Marriages Index (1650-1860) covering the Duddington area, there are 98 entries recording marriages. People named ‘Wiles’ stands at 51.5%, whilst people named ‘Wyles’ are recorded at 48.5% (with one person named ‘Mary Wiley’). From 1650-1699 there are 4 people listed as ‘Wiles’, and none recorded as ‘Wyles’. Between 1700-1799, there are 34 people named ‘Wiles’ and 14 people named ‘Wyles’. From 1800-1860 this trend is dramatically reversed with just 14 people recorded as ‘Wiles’, and 33 people listed as ‘Wyles’. As the parish records for Duddington for the 1600s are missing, it is difficult to discern whether ‘Wiles’ or ‘Wyles’ predominated, although there is no reason to privilege ‘Wyles’ over ‘Wiles’ and attempt to invert the observable trend across the region with ‘Wiles’ being far more prevalent and finally giving way to ‘Wyles’ in the 17th and 18th centuries. Yet these facts do not explain why 15th and 16th century tax-returns, birth certificates, dowry records and grave markers all spell the Duddington surname as ‘Wyles’. Even at the height of the 17th century popularity throughout the region, all the observable Duddington graves from that time carry the ‘Wyles’ variant. Most of the geographical locations mentioned above are included in this record with the edition of Gretton, Collyweston, and Cotterstock, etc. Gretton is 0.9 miles southwest of Duddington. Colleyweston is 1.3 miles southwest of Duddington with Cotterstock being 11.8 miles southeast of Duddington, etc.
The parish records of burials for the Duddington and surrounding area from 1700-1865 contain 114 entries. 49 (43%) are spelt ‘Wiles’, whilst 65 (57%) are spelt ‘Wyles’. Interestingly, contained in this list is one example of ‘Wiles’ living in Duddington – namely that of ‘James Wiles’ who was buried on the 23rd of June, 1809. This ‘James Wyles’ (1735-1809) - the younger brother of my direct ancestor ‘George Wyles’ (d. 1749) who is buried in a Wyles family crypt still visible in the graveyard of St Marys' Church in Duddington. Indeed, all the occupants of this tomb have their name spelt ‘Wyles’ and not ‘Wiles’. This demonstrates the problem of preferred or conventional spelling, as opposed to ‘official’ spelling in records often not viewed by the families concerned. The statistics revealed from these lists are:
St Marys’ Graveyard – Duddington:
17th century Wiles 50% - Wyles 50%.
18th century Wyles 100%.
19th century Wiles 20% - Wyles 80%.
20th century Wyles 100%.
Duddington area Baptism Records 1650-1812: Wiles 53% - Wyles 47%.
Duddington area Baptism Records 1813-1843: Wiles 20.9% - Wyles 79.1%
Duddington area Marriages Index (1650-1860): Wiles 51.5% - Wyles 48.5%
Duddington area Burials 1700-1865: Wiles 43% - Wyles 57%
It would appear that the majority of people with this surname who lived in Duddington preferred the spelling of ‘Wyles’ instead of ‘Wiles’, even at a time when ‘Wiles’ was far more common in the surrounding areas. Although there is some evidence for the 1600s, records for Duddington are relatively meagre, but the preponderance, I would argue, is toward ‘Wyles’ and away from ‘Wiles’ (certainly for my own lineage). Other than for the time period 1813-1843 where nearly 80% are recorded as ‘Wyles’, the statistical spread remains near the 50-50 mark in the surrounding areas, with ‘Wiles’ slightly more popular between 1650-1812 and 1650-1860. By the beginning of 20th century, however, ‘Wyles’ was the preferred spelling found in Duddington. Following the development of the English language after the Norman Conquest of 1066, the received thinking is that ‘Wiles’ should have developed into ‘Wyles’, with ‘Wiles’ being both older and more numerous. This is logical and not to be treated lightly. This model, however, does not explain why early (1500s) records all spell the name ‘Wyles’, with Richard Wyles of Marnham being recorded for 1327. Of course, the transition from ‘Wiles’ to ‘Wyles’ could have happened in the 13th century, and what we are seeing in the Duddington area is the far later playing-out of this change, as it meanders through various family lineages. Whatever the case, ‘Wiles’ predates ‘Wyles’ in the historical record, despite my theory of a ‘Wyles’ surname existing in Duddington prior to the Norman Conquest – the product of the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation of the ‘Weolud’ (I.e. ‘River Welland’) as the Germanic ‘Wylud’, etc. In this case ‘Wyle’ would denote an individual living by the River Wylud, whilst ‘Wyles’ would denote a group of related people living next to the River Wylud. As matters stand, the evidence for this is linguistic and partly suggested by later spelling trends in the Duddington village itself. This would suggest that the various geographical originations for ‘Wiles’ and ‘Wyles’ happened at different times and for different reasons, sometimes connected in some way, but quite often not connected at all. It is not that the official academic view is incorrect, but rather that it is incomplete. It is up to ‘us’, as the carriers of the ‘Wiles’ or ‘Wyles’ surnames, to formulate research programmes premised upon our own name lineages, whereby as much reliable information is gathered and made public.
On his marriage certificate dated 1.10.1910, my great grand father - Archibald Britton Wyles (1887-1941) - is recorded as living in the ‘Smethwick’ area of Birmingham, also known as West Bromwich. His occupation is listed as that of ‘Groom’, and if memory serves me correct, he worked in Uppingham (which is 8.6 miles west of Duddington) as a young man pursuing this occupation, before migrating ever further westward toward Birmingham. Although living in Birmingham when he joined the Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) in 1917, his War Record lists him as coming from Duddington and now working as a ‘Draper’. This is the story of how our direct ‘Wyles’ family lineage left Duddington in the early 1900s. If, for sake of argument, it is said that Archibald left Duddington on his 18th birthday (c. 1905), then it would be another 103 years before his great grandson (i.e. myself – Adrian Peter Wyles) would yet again set foot on the soil of Duddington – the land of our ‘Wyles’ forefathers. The last visible grave of our Wyles lineage in the graveyard is that of ‘George Wyles (d. 1908) who was probably an ‘uncle’ or ‘great uncle’ of Archibald Wyles. People surnamed Wyles certainly continued to live in Duddington (or nearby), with a grave in Duddington Cemetery containing the remains of one ‘Agnus Sarah Wyles’ (1878-1949). There is a gap of 41 years in the 20th century between the burial of George Wyles (1908) and Agnus Sarah Wyles (1949) - with little other evidence (although a burial record for St Marys’ Church lists a 78 year old ‘Mary Ann Wyles’ being buried in 1917, and a 71 year old ‘Henry Wyles’ being buried in 1919, despite there being no visible evidence of these two recent graves today). From the 1600s (17th century) onwards, official documents recording births, deaths, marriages and baptisms in Duddington record literally hundreds of people surnamed ‘Wyles’ with only a fraction of this population represented by the surviving gravestones. (One researcher commented to me that there were a disturbing number of young babies either still-born, or dying not long after birth being buried in unmarked graves due to not having been baptized). I have seen evidence of a few individuals named ‘Wyles’ still living in Duddington in recent times, with a few more living in nearby Kings Cliffe (I saw a Roll of Honour plaque containing the name of one ‘Frederick William Wyles’ who had died whilst serving in the British Army in 2003). As the lord of the manor had refused to allow the steam train to pass through Duddington, the population during the 18th and 19th centuries remained remarkably stable and cut-off from the Industrial Revolution happening in the rest of the UK. As a consequence, people only started leaving Duddington around the turn of the 20th century, leaving extensive archeological evidence in the graveyard, inside the church, in the cemetery, in numerous official records, lists and other documents, in the mill over the River Welland (once owned by my direct ancestor John the Elder in the 1700s) and even a plaque on a house (marked ‘John Wyles 1745’)! An isolated Duddington has served as a time capsule to be rediscovered. Only a certain percentage of the Wyles people cited in our family tree appear in the graveyard, with all the others gleamed from official documents and records.
Assisted by a number of other dedicated (professional) individuals - including Diane Wyles - who single-handedly researched all the documented evidence, we have travelled to Duddington (and the surrounding areas) numerous times since 2008. We have drawn, etched, photographed, measured, interviewed and extensively researched over the years, arriving at our family tree and securing a wealth of evidence about the Wyles surname and the Duddington area. There has been talk of a Scottish, Pictish or even Viking origination for the Wyles surname (deriving from the Norse ‘Jarl’ meaning ‘Earl’). Scottish people named ‘Wyles’ may have migrated into England and eventually settled in Duddington. I have written elsewhere of various (speculative) theories about a ‘Wyles’ clan forming independently in Duddington. The River Welland runs through Duddington and was once teeming with eels. Willow trees grow along its bank. The ‘traps’ or other mechanical devices historically associated with the ‘Wyles’ surname are said to have been constructed out of willow. These are all the ingredients for a ‘Wyles’ name to form locally. A related developmental trajectory involves the name of the River Welland (also spelt ‘Wylland’ due to ‘eo’ being expressed in German as a ‘y’ character) – which is also known by the far older Weolud (also written as Wylud, which could easily have morphed into Wyles). This would indicate that the Duddington Wyles clan existed prior to the Norman Conquest and could well represent a Celtic or pre-Celtic designation. This type of thinking also applies to the ‘Wylebroke’, or ‘Willowbrook’, a tributary of the local River Nene, mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086). This denotes a river with willow trees running along its banks. Willow is the main constituency of the ‘Wiles’ or ‘Wyles’ mechanical devices, and so we have ‘Wylebroke’ (with ‘Wyle’ meaning ‘willow’) transitioning into ‘Wylie’, ‘Wyles’ and later ‘Wiles’. If this theory turns out to be correct, we see the opposite of the national trend of ‘i’ transitioning to ‘y’, with ‘Wylie’ morphing into the modern ‘willow’ (in charters using Latin, the Welland or Weolud is written in Latin charters as ‘aqua de Uueeland’, which is recorded as the shortened ‘Uelud’ in 1000). This would suggest that ‘Wyles’ was the original spelling which developed independently in the Duddington area, and preceding the alternative spelling of ‘Wiles’ which developed later, as the spelling of ‘willow’ became standardized.
Although I have seen a reference in a particular copy of the 1086 Domesday Book mentioning ‘Wylebroke’, in a letter dated the 18.5.2009, Dr Paul Cavil (of the English Place Name Society of Nottingham University), suggests the following definition:
‘The Welland first recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 921 as Weolud is pre-English. The best study of English River-Names to date, that of Eilert Ekwall (Oxford, 1928) concludes that there is nothing like it in existing British names, and that it may be pre-Celtic.
Willybrook Hundred, first recorded in a Geld Roll of 1076 and Domesday Book 1086 as Wilebroc, Wilibroc, is named after Willow Brook (which is what the Anglo-Saxon name Wilebroc means), another name for the Nene in this area. Nene itself, like Welland, may be Celtic or pre-Celtic.’
Willybrook Hundred, first recorded in a Geld Roll of 1076 and Domesday Book 1086 as Wilebroc, Wilibroc, is named after Willow Brook (which is what the Anglo-Saxon name Wilebroc means), another name for the Nene in this area. Nene itself, like Welland, may be Celtic or pre-Celtic.’
I will attempt to clarify my Domesday Book reference in due course*, but the evidence of Dr Paul Cavil supports the idea that ‘i’ was prevalent in the early days both before and after the Norman Conquest. If the surnames ‘Wyles’ predates the Norman Conquest, then regardless of whether ‘Wilebroc’ or ‘Wylebroke’ was used in the Domesday Book, an earlier version of the name must have been spelt with an ‘i’ at a time before ‘y’ was developed and first used as its replacement. A pre-Norman Conquest manifestation must have been ‘Wile’ (or similar), whilst a post-Norman Conquest expression could have been spelt with a ‘y’ as ‘Wyles’ (or something similar). However, if it is taken into account that the Anglo-Saxons could have spelt ‘Weolud’ (I.e. the River Welland) as ‘Wylud’ (in accordance with the German convention of expressing ‘eo’ with a ‘y’), then there is a possibility that a pre-Norman Conquest version of the name could have been ‘Wyl’ or ‘Wyle’ (by-passing the need of the later – post-Norman Conquest – development of replacing an ‘i’ with a ‘y’.
The ‘Out of Duddington’ theory suggest an association of a group of people associated with the River Welland and/or the River Nene (as ‘Willowbrook’ often spelt ‘Willow Brook’ today). Both rivers have willow trees growing along their banks, and in times gone by, the waters were known to be teeming with fish (including eels). Interestingly, Duddington lies not far from the ‘Fens’, also known as England’s ‘Little Holland’ due to its relatively ‘flat’ land and association with windmills. The name in question could have arose either before or after the Norman Conquest (of 1066), and possibly been expressed as ‘Wiles’ leading to ‘Wyles’ (the ‘i’ to ‘y’ scenario), or ‘Wyles’ leading to ‘Wiles’ (the ‘eo’ to ‘y’ scenario). Another theory is that of a group of people (probably named ‘Wiles’) migrated into Duddington from elsewhere, and that the name they carried had nothing to do with any local geographical marker. The question then becomes ‘from where did these people migrate, and when’? I am indebted to Mr Malcolm Wyles who contacted me recently, and shared his very interesting family tree. In the mid-1700s (18th century) he records his relatives as being ‘Thomas and Elizabeth Wiles’, of ‘Witham on the Hill’. Witham on the Hill is located 14.9 miles north of Duddington. At this time, my direct ancestors living in Duddington were James Wyles (1701-1785) and his wife Catherine Wyles (1703-1785) who had at least nine children and a family crypt dedicated to their memory. In all the many documents I have read from this era, and despite many other local places such as Ketton, Uppingham, Collywestern, Oundle, Bourne, Greater Casterton, Lesser Casterton, Stamford and Tixover, etc, being mentioned, I had never come across any reference to ‘Witham on the Hill’. Admittedly the generations immediately after Thomas and Elizabeth ‘Wiles’ all seem to spell their name ‘Wyles’, but it is a curious anomaly. As matters stand, there are graves of people called ‘Wyles’ in St Andrew’s Church situated not far from Dowsby (a place where many descendants of Thomas and Elizabeth Wiles eventually settled). Of course, sometimes official documents spell the name differently to how it is used, and this cannot be ruled-out as a possibility in this instance. Richard Wyles of Marnham is recorded in the Patent Rolls of 1327. Marnham lies 44.7 miles north of Witham on the Hill, and 50.8 miles north of Duddington. The earliest Duddington Wyles I can find so far, is ‘Robert Wyles’ recorded as being born in 1520 (although other people named ‘Wyles’ are rather vaguely recorded as residing in ‘Lincolnshire’ during the 1400s). Although obviously a very small sample, is it reasonable to assume that a migration into the Lincolnshire area is occurring (from north to south sometime between 1327 - 1750) by people named ‘Wiles’ or ‘Wyles’, traversing through Marnham, Witham on the Hill, Duddington and finally Kings Cliffe? If so, who were these people, and where were they from?
In 2007, I commissioned Dr Bryan Sykes of Oxford Ancestors to analyze my Y DNA. My Y DNA result revealed the genetic signature of the Y-chromosome that I inherited from my father, and from all my paternal ancestors (passed on from father to son) extending into the ancient past. I had read that sometimes certain surnames have been observed as being historically linked to specific Y DNA (father) and mDNA (mother) genetic lineages. As a direct male descendant of the Wyles family of Duddington, I thought it important to make my Y DNA a matter of public record to assist the study of the possible origins of the Wyles surname. We need a number of males named ‘Wyles’ either currently living in Duddington, or possessing a direct historical link with the place to take a Y DNA test and have those results made public. In this way we could determine whether ALL males in the Duddington Wyles lineage possess the same paternal DNA, or whether results vary. As a family tree suggests an unbroken and inherited genetic identity, such research should confirm a single genetic identity. In my case, Oxford Ancestors – using their peculiar cataloguing system – revealed my Y DNA to be that of ‘Eshu’. In scientific terms this denotes the Y DNA of ‘E3b’, also known as ‘E-m125’, and ‘E1b1b’. Oxford Ancestors has this to say about this Y DNA history and distribution around the world:
The ‘Out of Duddington’ theory suggest an association of a group of people associated with the River Welland and/or the River Nene (as ‘Willowbrook’ often spelt ‘Willow Brook’ today). Both rivers have willow trees growing along their banks, and in times gone by, the waters were known to be teeming with fish (including eels). Interestingly, Duddington lies not far from the ‘Fens’, also known as England’s ‘Little Holland’ due to its relatively ‘flat’ land and association with windmills. The name in question could have arose either before or after the Norman Conquest (of 1066), and possibly been expressed as ‘Wiles’ leading to ‘Wyles’ (the ‘i’ to ‘y’ scenario), or ‘Wyles’ leading to ‘Wiles’ (the ‘eo’ to ‘y’ scenario). Another theory is that of a group of people (probably named ‘Wiles’) migrated into Duddington from elsewhere, and that the name they carried had nothing to do with any local geographical marker. The question then becomes ‘from where did these people migrate, and when’? I am indebted to Mr Malcolm Wyles who contacted me recently, and shared his very interesting family tree. In the mid-1700s (18th century) he records his relatives as being ‘Thomas and Elizabeth Wiles’, of ‘Witham on the Hill’. Witham on the Hill is located 14.9 miles north of Duddington. At this time, my direct ancestors living in Duddington were James Wyles (1701-1785) and his wife Catherine Wyles (1703-1785) who had at least nine children and a family crypt dedicated to their memory. In all the many documents I have read from this era, and despite many other local places such as Ketton, Uppingham, Collywestern, Oundle, Bourne, Greater Casterton, Lesser Casterton, Stamford and Tixover, etc, being mentioned, I had never come across any reference to ‘Witham on the Hill’. Admittedly the generations immediately after Thomas and Elizabeth ‘Wiles’ all seem to spell their name ‘Wyles’, but it is a curious anomaly. As matters stand, there are graves of people called ‘Wyles’ in St Andrew’s Church situated not far from Dowsby (a place where many descendants of Thomas and Elizabeth Wiles eventually settled). Of course, sometimes official documents spell the name differently to how it is used, and this cannot be ruled-out as a possibility in this instance. Richard Wyles of Marnham is recorded in the Patent Rolls of 1327. Marnham lies 44.7 miles north of Witham on the Hill, and 50.8 miles north of Duddington. The earliest Duddington Wyles I can find so far, is ‘Robert Wyles’ recorded as being born in 1520 (although other people named ‘Wyles’ are rather vaguely recorded as residing in ‘Lincolnshire’ during the 1400s). Although obviously a very small sample, is it reasonable to assume that a migration into the Lincolnshire area is occurring (from north to south sometime between 1327 - 1750) by people named ‘Wiles’ or ‘Wyles’, traversing through Marnham, Witham on the Hill, Duddington and finally Kings Cliffe? If so, who were these people, and where were they from?
In 2007, I commissioned Dr Bryan Sykes of Oxford Ancestors to analyze my Y DNA. My Y DNA result revealed the genetic signature of the Y-chromosome that I inherited from my father, and from all my paternal ancestors (passed on from father to son) extending into the ancient past. I had read that sometimes certain surnames have been observed as being historically linked to specific Y DNA (father) and mDNA (mother) genetic lineages. As a direct male descendant of the Wyles family of Duddington, I thought it important to make my Y DNA a matter of public record to assist the study of the possible origins of the Wyles surname. We need a number of males named ‘Wyles’ either currently living in Duddington, or possessing a direct historical link with the place to take a Y DNA test and have those results made public. In this way we could determine whether ALL males in the Duddington Wyles lineage possess the same paternal DNA, or whether results vary. As a family tree suggests an unbroken and inherited genetic identity, such research should confirm a single genetic identity. In my case, Oxford Ancestors – using their peculiar cataloguing system – revealed my Y DNA to be that of ‘Eshu’. In scientific terms this denotes the Y DNA of ‘E3b’, also known as ‘E-m125’, and ‘E1b1b’. Oxford Ancestors has this to say about this Y DNA history and distribution around the world:
Eshu (Clade E)
The clan of Eshu originated around 40,000 to 50,000 years ago in the Middle East and then spread into Europe and back into Africa, where its members are mostly found today. The distribution in the following countries and among the following peoples in: western Africa (75-98%), the Bamileke of Ghana (95%), the Berbers (90%), the Biaka pygmies of the Central African Republic (70%), Ethiopia (70%), central Africa (33-66%), the Kung of South Africa (60%), Sudan (30%), Lebanon (30%), Greece (20%), Italy (15%), Iran (20%), Iraq (11%) and the British Isles (2%).
The clan of Eshu originated around 40,000 to 50,000 years ago in the Middle East and then spread into Europe and back into Africa, where its members are mostly found today. The distribution in the following countries and among the following peoples in: western Africa (75-98%), the Bamileke of Ghana (95%), the Berbers (90%), the Biaka pygmies of the Central African Republic (70%), Ethiopia (70%), central Africa (33-66%), the Kung of South Africa (60%), Sudan (30%), Lebanon (30%), Greece (20%), Italy (15%), Iran (20%), Iraq (11%) and the British Isles (2%).
So rare is the haplogroup in the UK (just 2% at the current reckoning), that Dr Bryan Sykes personally contacted me to discuss the results. I have also been looking at the people named ‘Wyles’ or ‘Wiles’ around the world, but very few have taken the Y DNA test, or if they have, the results have been kept private. Haplogroup E3b originated around 22,400 years ago in Northeast Africa. It is said this haplogroup was common amongst the Neolithic farmers from the Middle East (or Near East) who first brought agriculture into Europe about 9000 years ago. However, another theory suggests that there may have been a direct migration from Africa into Europe. Around 8000 years ago, it is thought that an E3b cluster migrated into Europe from the Balkans, spreading as far west as the Iberian Peninsula and southeast into Turkey. How did this Y DNA spread to the UK? The problem is that E3b does not correspond with the known Y DNA associated with the Celts, Angles, Saxons or Vikings and Danes, and is unlikely to have been present in these groups to any significant extent. In the light of this fact one theory suggests that the Y DNA E3b may have been spread to the UK by Roman legionnaires recruited in the Balkans, possibly as early as 43 CE, and continuing into the third century. These men may have settled in Britain and raised families with British women, etc. Although the ‘Wyles’ surname may have a Viking origination or connection in some of its branches, this is unlikely to be the case in Duddington, as Vikings (or Danes) generally do not carry the E3b Y DNA. In 2009, I had another Y DNA test performed (this time through Family Tree DNA), which gave me the slightly more enhanced result of sub-haplogroup ‘E-M35’. This development of the E3b haplogroup is thought to have been around 15,400 and 20,500 years ago in North Africa. E-M35 is also expressed as ‘E1b1b1’. A male living in the Arkansas area of the US, (who carries the Wyles surname) obtained a Y DNA result of ‘I-P109 I’. This cluster of Wiles-Wyles trace their ancestry back to Ireland (which was a Viking stronghold for many years), with ‘I-P109 I’ originating between 5000 – 3000 years ago in what is today Denmark. Indeed, this Y DNA marker is prevalent throughout Scandinavia. This result, when combined with the Wyles surname and the geographical location of Ireland, gives credence to the idea that at least some branches of the Wyles surname originated from the Viking presence throughout this region.
*(Update: 28.7.2019) My Reference: History from the Sources – Edited by John Morris – Domesday Book, Northamptonshire, Phillimore (Chichester), (1979), Page s 225c-226c & Note on the Text and Translation under the heading ‘The Hundreds’ and the different renderings of ‘Wilebroc’ contain within different property and taxation surveys.
Geld Roll - Anglo-Saxon Tax Continued into Norman Times (1076) = ‘Wilebroc’
Domesday – Norman (1086) = ‘Wilebroc’
Survey – Norman (1086-1316?) = ‘Wylebroke’
Nomina Villarum (1316) = Welybrok
1841 Census = Willybrook
A ‘Hide’ was defined by the scribes of King William I as a piece of land measuring 120 acres. King William 1 wanted to know exactly what he owned (as an absolute monarch) and who owned in his name. That which was not properly declared (or deliberately ‘hidden’) was confiscated by the Crown. Ethnic British people were often thrown off their ancestral lands with no recourse to legal protest, whilst Norman French were given the lands for their own usage. This was the ‘Day of Judgement’ that was considered ‘Biblical’ in its scope and disruption of life, and explains why this data gathering exercise was referred to as the ‘Domesday Book’. For many centuries it was unparalleled in Europe. The Domesday Book gives a snapshot of a Britain in both turmoil and transition as Old England gives way to Norman Britain. The chief landholders and those who held from them are named, and the rest of the population was counted. Most of them lived in villages, whose houses might be clustered together, or dispersed among their fields. Villagers were grouped in administrative districts called Hundreds, which formed regions within Shires, or Counties, which survive today with minor boundary changes. For the Duddington area the ‘Domesday Book’ records:
‘Land of Ralph De (of) Limesy
In Willybrook Hundred
Ralph of Limesy holds 2 hides from the King in Collyweston and Herlwin from him. Land for 6 ploughs. In Lordship 2; 3 slaves.
Modern English possesses two devices unknown to the 11th century (written) Latin used by the Normans for administrative purposes, namely standardized punctuation and the use of paragraphs. King Willian 1 numbered the chapters for easier access. I cannot pinpoint the exact date of the ‘Survey’ mentioned in this copy of the ‘Domesday Book’, but it might have something to do with King William I sending (in secret) another team of scholar-officials to ‘check’ the work of the original team and report any errors, omissions or deliberate corruption, etc. However, the ‘Survey’ appears to have taken place separately at some time between 1086-1316 as it contains some radically different spellings of place-names, with ‘Wylebroke’ replacing ‘Wilebroc’. This transformation certainly appears to following the development of replacing ‘i’ with a ‘y’, and suggests that ‘Wile(s)’ morphed into ‘Wyle(s)’ over-time.
Update: Email from Dr Peter McClure - Hon. Professor of Name-Studies, Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham - to Dr Adrian Chan-Wyles (dated August 5th, 2019) - Subject: 'Enquiry: Wyles Surname'
'Dear Mr Wyles,
Thank you for your enquiry about your surname. It is found as early as 1202 in Lincolnshire (John Wyles), where it was a family name in Welton. It is also recorded in the East, West and North Ridings of Yorkshire in the 13th and 14th centuries and in Leicestershire in the 14th. I have not been able to find examples of the name in Northants until the late 16th century. Its etymology is uncertain. The persistent –s form from the early 13th century is difficult to explain except as a plural, and the best suggestion I can come up with is that it is Middle English wiles ‘tricks, stratagems’, a nickname for someone known for his cunning behaviour. However, by the time that your surname appears in Northants it was common for a supplementary –s to be added at will to an existing surname so in the case of your own name it could be a variant of the surname Wile, which is usually from a Middle English word denoting some kind of mechanical contrivance, perhaps an animal trap or a windlass or else from a place named with this word (Monkton Wyld in Dorset, Wyld Farm in Hampstead Norris, Berkshire, or Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury, Shropshire). Alternatively the surname Wile may sometimes have derived from a Middle English word meaning ‘pleasing, agreeable.
(This email includes an extract of an 'unpublished' dictionary which we cannot make public without the permission of the Publishers).
With best wishes
Dr Peter McClure
Hon. Professor of Name-Studies
Institute for Name-Studies
University of Nottingham'
In my work above, I have written 'John Wiles (1202), Osbert de Wila (1204), Adam de la Wile (1221), John, Robert Wyles (1251)', with 'Wiles' dated to 1202 and 'Wyles' to 1251, but Dr Peter McClure has provided a reference for a 'John Wyles' of Lincolnshire also dated to '1202'. This demonstrates the rather fluid nature of surname research and how we are dependent upon the presence of historical texts (and hindered by their absence). This new data pushes back the existence of 'Wyles' to an earlier date in the observable historical record to '1202'. This John Wyles was from 'Welton' (in Lincolnshire) which is situated 62.3 miles north of Duddington. Dr McClure states that the 'Wiles-Wyles' surname was prevalent throughout the North, East and West Ridings within Yorkshire (all areas of Viking settlement) during the 13th and 14th centuries (Leeds is situated 109.3 miles north of Duddingon). Again, this opens-up the possibility of a Scottish origin as it does a Viking beginning, with the suggested idea that the name may have migrated southward over hundreds of years. Dr McClure could find no evidence for Northants prior to the latter 16th century, whilst we have one 'Robert Wyles' (1520-1566) - described as a 'Husbandman' (in a Will), and two tax returns for 1524 (paid by William Wyles and Johes [Joseph] Wyles to King Henry VIII). What we could be seeing here, is that there were no people named 'Wiles' or 'Wyles' in Duddington prior to 1500, Unless all the different places historically associated with this surname can be linked together so as to demonstrate a logical migration route, it would still seem appropriate to assume a multi-regional origin for the many branches of the 'Wiles' and 'Wyles' surname.
Update: 11.8.2019 - Following Prof, Peter McClure's investigation into 'Robert Wyles' - listed as '1520' on the NRO Index Card No: J(D) 471 - finding no supporting evidence, we re-checked this card and found a confusion in the registry. The date is questioned as being either 1520 or 1530 - but it now appears obvious that it is '1530' as 'Robert Wyles' did not pay tax in Duddington as recorded by the 1523-24 Lay Subsidy Rolls for the area, or the 1524-1525 tax demand for Henry VIII. However, Prof. Peter McClure did discover that 'Wiliam Wyles' and 'Johes Wyles' (now known to be 'John' as opposed to 'Joseph') paid tax a year earlier (1523-1524) as recorded in the Lay Subsidy Roll for the area. Where I have a reference for 'John Wiles' of 1202, Prof, McClure has found the same name spelt 'John Wyles' and linked to Welton in Lincolnshire (Welton is situated 62.3 miles north of Duddington). Prof. McClure has also discovered a 'Roger Wyles' living in Oundle (14.2 miles south of Duddington) in 1301 - the earliest known example in the area, and the closest yet to Duddington!
Update: Email from Dr Peter McClure - Hon. Professor of Name-Studies, Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham - to Dr Adrian Chan-Wyles (dated August 9th, 2019) - Subject: 'Enquiry: Wyles Surname'
Dear Adrian
I’m pleased that you have written again about the evidence for Wyles in Duddington. I can’t include the 1520 instance in the dictionary because I would need a documentary reference located in the Northants archives. But I have found the two 1524-5 tax roll instances online at
http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/subsidies/transcripts/willybrook16c.shtml#311
They are Wills (i.e. William) Wyles and Johes (i.e. John) Wyles 1523-4 in Subsidy Rolls (Duddington, Northants) and I have inserted them in the dictionary’ list of early bearers. I am guessing that your ‘Joseph’ appears as ‘Johes’ in the online transcript and I wonder which is correct (John is the more likely, I suppose.)
More interesting even than that is that the same website lists taxpayers from the 1301 lay subsidy roll and includes a man named Roger Wyles in Oundle (Northants), which is only 9 miles from Duddington. I would think it quite likely that this is the eponymous ancestor of your Duddington family, though of course one can’t prove it.
If you go on to the National Archives Discovery website you will find several references to the Wyles family of Duddington, including one of the reign of Elizabeth in which Robert Wyles senior is in dispute about completing a title by purchase of ‘a tenement in Duddington, Northamptonshire, being copyhold lands holden of the Manor of Duddington’ (TNA, C 2/Eliz/W16/30). That is at least 40 years later than the earlier Robert of 1520 but it does suggest that the Wyles property in Duddington was a recent acquisition rather than anciently held by them.
It’s pity that we can’t find evidence of the surname in or near Duddington in the 15th century, but the 15th century is generally a poor time for local documentary records. We do now have the 1301 Oundle reference, though, which is a bonus. It confirms that the –s in the surname is original and not added later. Medieval surnames in the plural are unusual. One occasionally finds a topographical surname in the plural (atte Hegges ‘at the hedges’, e.g.) and I have wondered whether Wyles might be a plural form of ME wile ‘mechanical contrivance; animal trap’) but the complete absence of a preposition in any of the medieval surname examples tells against this. That is why I’m suggesting that the surname may be the plural of ME wile ‘trick’, elliptical for ‘one who has cunning ways of getting what he wants, ‘a wily person’, but it remains an unusual formation and I will continue to look for further evidence that might settle the etymology.
Best wishes
Peter
Update: Mary Ann Wyles (1839-1917) was married to Thomas Wyles (1824-1887). These are my grandparents X4. Mary Ann Wyles is the last known 'Wyles' of our lineage to be buried in the graveyard of St Mary's. Mary Ann and Thomas were the grandparents of my great grandfather - Archibald Britton Wyles (1887-1941).
Update: According to the Duddington Census of 1891, John Thomas, his wife Eleanor, and their children – Ethel aged 5, Archibald aged 4, and Hilda aged 2 – all lived at the ‘Crown Inn’ in Duddington, but by the time of the 1901 Census, this family (apparently minus Ethel but with the addition of Cyril aged 8, Hugh aged 4 and Sara aged 3), are now recorded as living at ‘144 North Street’ in Uppingham. Uppingham (in Oakham) is situated 8.6 miles to the west of Duddington. This means this family (and my last direct Wyles relative to have been born in Duddington – Archibald – my great grandfather) left Duddington at some point between 1891 – 1901. We believe Archibald left for Birmingham (from Uppingham) around 1906 when he was 18 years old. However, his grandmother – Mary Ann Wyles (1839-1917), the wife of Thomas Wyles Jnr (1824-1887) - continued to live in Duddington until her passing in 1917 (where she was buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church). According to the Duddington Census of 1891, John Thomas, his wife Eleanor, and their children – Ethel aged 5, Archibald aged 4, and Hilda aged 2 – all lived at the ‘Crown Inn’ in Duddington, but by the time of the 1901 Census, this family (apparently minus Ethel but now with the addition of Cyril aged 8, Hugh aged 4 and Sara aged 3), are now recorded as living at ‘144 North Street’ in Uppingham. Uppingham (in Oakham) is situated 8.6 miles to the west of Duddington. This means this family (and my last direct Wyles relative to have been born in Duddington – Archibald – my great grandfather) left Duddington at some point between 1891 – 1901. We believe Archibald left for Birmingham (from Uppingham) around 1906 when he was 18 years old. However, his grandmother – Mary Ann Wyles (1839-1917), the wife of Thomas Wyles Jnr (1824-1887) - continued to live in Duddington until her passing in 1917 (where she was buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church).
References:
Oxford Companion to the English Language’ (ed. T McArthur, OUP 1992), Pages 494-495 and Page 1138-1139.
A Dictionary of English Surnames by PH Reaney and RM Wilson (Routledge: third edition, 1991), Page 493.
Online References (Accessed 20.7.2019):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_de_la_Wyle
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/fasti-ecclesiae/1066-1300/vol4/pp1-7
http://www.rampantscotland.com/ragman/blragman_w.htm
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/surnames_01.shtml
https://www.sarahwoodbury.com/life-expectancy-in-the-middle-ages/
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/wyles-family-gravestones.html
http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/asearch?
page=2788&order=title&sort=asc&quicktabs_3=0&title_op=contains&title=&title_1_op=contains&title_1=&body_op=contain
s&body=&body_1_op=contains&body_1=&items_per_page=20
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/etymology-wyles-family-name.html
http://www.jogg.info/pages/32/bird.htm
https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/28869-E1b1b1-E3b-E-M35-E-V13-in-the-UK
http://www.jogg.info/pages/32/bird.htm
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-baptisms-1650-1812.html
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-marriages-1650-1860.html
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-marriages-1650-1860.html
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-burials-1700-1865.html
*(Update: 28.7.2019) My Reference: History from the Sources – Edited by John Morris – Domesday Book, Northamptonshire, Phillimore (Chichester), (1979), Page s 225c-226c & Note on the Text and Translation under the heading ‘The Hundreds’ and the different renderings of ‘Wilebroc’ contain within different property and taxation surveys.
Geld Roll - Anglo-Saxon Tax Continued into Norman Times (1076) = ‘Wilebroc’
Domesday – Norman (1086) = ‘Wilebroc’
Survey – Norman (1086-1316?) = ‘Wylebroke’
Nomina Villarum (1316) = Welybrok
1841 Census = Willybrook
A ‘Hide’ was defined by the scribes of King William I as a piece of land measuring 120 acres. King William 1 wanted to know exactly what he owned (as an absolute monarch) and who owned in his name. That which was not properly declared (or deliberately ‘hidden’) was confiscated by the Crown. Ethnic British people were often thrown off their ancestral lands with no recourse to legal protest, whilst Norman French were given the lands for their own usage. This was the ‘Day of Judgement’ that was considered ‘Biblical’ in its scope and disruption of life, and explains why this data gathering exercise was referred to as the ‘Domesday Book’. For many centuries it was unparalleled in Europe. The Domesday Book gives a snapshot of a Britain in both turmoil and transition as Old England gives way to Norman Britain. The chief landholders and those who held from them are named, and the rest of the population was counted. Most of them lived in villages, whose houses might be clustered together, or dispersed among their fields. Villagers were grouped in administrative districts called Hundreds, which formed regions within Shires, or Counties, which survive today with minor boundary changes. For the Duddington area the ‘Domesday Book’ records:
‘Land of Ralph De (of) Limesy
In Willybrook Hundred
Ralph of Limesy holds 2 hides from the King in Collyweston and Herlwin from him. Land for 6 ploughs. In Lordship 2; 3 slaves.
Modern English possesses two devices unknown to the 11th century (written) Latin used by the Normans for administrative purposes, namely standardized punctuation and the use of paragraphs. King Willian 1 numbered the chapters for easier access. I cannot pinpoint the exact date of the ‘Survey’ mentioned in this copy of the ‘Domesday Book’, but it might have something to do with King William I sending (in secret) another team of scholar-officials to ‘check’ the work of the original team and report any errors, omissions or deliberate corruption, etc. However, the ‘Survey’ appears to have taken place separately at some time between 1086-1316 as it contains some radically different spellings of place-names, with ‘Wylebroke’ replacing ‘Wilebroc’. This transformation certainly appears to following the development of replacing ‘i’ with a ‘y’, and suggests that ‘Wile(s)’ morphed into ‘Wyle(s)’ over-time.
Update: Email from Dr Peter McClure - Hon. Professor of Name-Studies, Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham - to Dr Adrian Chan-Wyles (dated August 5th, 2019) - Subject: 'Enquiry: Wyles Surname'
'Dear Mr Wyles,
Thank you for your enquiry about your surname. It is found as early as 1202 in Lincolnshire (John Wyles), where it was a family name in Welton. It is also recorded in the East, West and North Ridings of Yorkshire in the 13th and 14th centuries and in Leicestershire in the 14th. I have not been able to find examples of the name in Northants until the late 16th century. Its etymology is uncertain. The persistent –s form from the early 13th century is difficult to explain except as a plural, and the best suggestion I can come up with is that it is Middle English wiles ‘tricks, stratagems’, a nickname for someone known for his cunning behaviour. However, by the time that your surname appears in Northants it was common for a supplementary –s to be added at will to an existing surname so in the case of your own name it could be a variant of the surname Wile, which is usually from a Middle English word denoting some kind of mechanical contrivance, perhaps an animal trap or a windlass or else from a place named with this word (Monkton Wyld in Dorset, Wyld Farm in Hampstead Norris, Berkshire, or Wyle Cop in Shrewsbury, Shropshire). Alternatively the surname Wile may sometimes have derived from a Middle English word meaning ‘pleasing, agreeable.
(This email includes an extract of an 'unpublished' dictionary which we cannot make public without the permission of the Publishers).
With best wishes
Dr Peter McClure
Hon. Professor of Name-Studies
Institute for Name-Studies
University of Nottingham'
In my work above, I have written 'John Wiles (1202), Osbert de Wila (1204), Adam de la Wile (1221), John, Robert Wyles (1251)', with 'Wiles' dated to 1202 and 'Wyles' to 1251, but Dr Peter McClure has provided a reference for a 'John Wyles' of Lincolnshire also dated to '1202'. This demonstrates the rather fluid nature of surname research and how we are dependent upon the presence of historical texts (and hindered by their absence). This new data pushes back the existence of 'Wyles' to an earlier date in the observable historical record to '1202'. This John Wyles was from 'Welton' (in Lincolnshire) which is situated 62.3 miles north of Duddington. Dr McClure states that the 'Wiles-Wyles' surname was prevalent throughout the North, East and West Ridings within Yorkshire (all areas of Viking settlement) during the 13th and 14th centuries (Leeds is situated 109.3 miles north of Duddingon). Again, this opens-up the possibility of a Scottish origin as it does a Viking beginning, with the suggested idea that the name may have migrated southward over hundreds of years. Dr McClure could find no evidence for Northants prior to the latter 16th century, whilst we have one 'Robert Wyles' (1520-1566) - described as a 'Husbandman' (in a Will), and two tax returns for 1524 (paid by William Wyles and Johes [Joseph] Wyles to King Henry VIII). What we could be seeing here, is that there were no people named 'Wiles' or 'Wyles' in Duddington prior to 1500, Unless all the different places historically associated with this surname can be linked together so as to demonstrate a logical migration route, it would still seem appropriate to assume a multi-regional origin for the many branches of the 'Wiles' and 'Wyles' surname.
Update: 11.8.2019 - Following Prof, Peter McClure's investigation into 'Robert Wyles' - listed as '1520' on the NRO Index Card No: J(D) 471 - finding no supporting evidence, we re-checked this card and found a confusion in the registry. The date is questioned as being either 1520 or 1530 - but it now appears obvious that it is '1530' as 'Robert Wyles' did not pay tax in Duddington as recorded by the 1523-24 Lay Subsidy Rolls for the area, or the 1524-1525 tax demand for Henry VIII. However, Prof. Peter McClure did discover that 'Wiliam Wyles' and 'Johes Wyles' (now known to be 'John' as opposed to 'Joseph') paid tax a year earlier (1523-1524) as recorded in the Lay Subsidy Roll for the area. Where I have a reference for 'John Wiles' of 1202, Prof, McClure has found the same name spelt 'John Wyles' and linked to Welton in Lincolnshire (Welton is situated 62.3 miles north of Duddington). Prof. McClure has also discovered a 'Roger Wyles' living in Oundle (14.2 miles south of Duddington) in 1301 - the earliest known example in the area, and the closest yet to Duddington!
Update: Email from Dr Peter McClure - Hon. Professor of Name-Studies, Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham - to Dr Adrian Chan-Wyles (dated August 9th, 2019) - Subject: 'Enquiry: Wyles Surname'
Dear Adrian
I’m pleased that you have written again about the evidence for Wyles in Duddington. I can’t include the 1520 instance in the dictionary because I would need a documentary reference located in the Northants archives. But I have found the two 1524-5 tax roll instances online at
http://www.medievalgenealogy.org.uk/subsidies/transcripts/willybrook16c.shtml#311
They are Wills (i.e. William) Wyles and Johes (i.e. John) Wyles 1523-4 in Subsidy Rolls (Duddington, Northants) and I have inserted them in the dictionary’ list of early bearers. I am guessing that your ‘Joseph’ appears as ‘Johes’ in the online transcript and I wonder which is correct (John is the more likely, I suppose.)
More interesting even than that is that the same website lists taxpayers from the 1301 lay subsidy roll and includes a man named Roger Wyles in Oundle (Northants), which is only 9 miles from Duddington. I would think it quite likely that this is the eponymous ancestor of your Duddington family, though of course one can’t prove it.
If you go on to the National Archives Discovery website you will find several references to the Wyles family of Duddington, including one of the reign of Elizabeth in which Robert Wyles senior is in dispute about completing a title by purchase of ‘a tenement in Duddington, Northamptonshire, being copyhold lands holden of the Manor of Duddington’ (TNA, C 2/Eliz/W16/30). That is at least 40 years later than the earlier Robert of 1520 but it does suggest that the Wyles property in Duddington was a recent acquisition rather than anciently held by them.
It’s pity that we can’t find evidence of the surname in or near Duddington in the 15th century, but the 15th century is generally a poor time for local documentary records. We do now have the 1301 Oundle reference, though, which is a bonus. It confirms that the –s in the surname is original and not added later. Medieval surnames in the plural are unusual. One occasionally finds a topographical surname in the plural (atte Hegges ‘at the hedges’, e.g.) and I have wondered whether Wyles might be a plural form of ME wile ‘mechanical contrivance; animal trap’) but the complete absence of a preposition in any of the medieval surname examples tells against this. That is why I’m suggesting that the surname may be the plural of ME wile ‘trick’, elliptical for ‘one who has cunning ways of getting what he wants, ‘a wily person’, but it remains an unusual formation and I will continue to look for further evidence that might settle the etymology.
Best wishes
Peter
Update: Mary Ann Wyles (1839-1917) was married to Thomas Wyles (1824-1887). These are my grandparents X4. Mary Ann Wyles is the last known 'Wyles' of our lineage to be buried in the graveyard of St Mary's. Mary Ann and Thomas were the grandparents of my great grandfather - Archibald Britton Wyles (1887-1941).
Update: According to the Duddington Census of 1891, John Thomas, his wife Eleanor, and their children – Ethel aged 5, Archibald aged 4, and Hilda aged 2 – all lived at the ‘Crown Inn’ in Duddington, but by the time of the 1901 Census, this family (apparently minus Ethel but with the addition of Cyril aged 8, Hugh aged 4 and Sara aged 3), are now recorded as living at ‘144 North Street’ in Uppingham. Uppingham (in Oakham) is situated 8.6 miles to the west of Duddington. This means this family (and my last direct Wyles relative to have been born in Duddington – Archibald – my great grandfather) left Duddington at some point between 1891 – 1901. We believe Archibald left for Birmingham (from Uppingham) around 1906 when he was 18 years old. However, his grandmother – Mary Ann Wyles (1839-1917), the wife of Thomas Wyles Jnr (1824-1887) - continued to live in Duddington until her passing in 1917 (where she was buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church). According to the Duddington Census of 1891, John Thomas, his wife Eleanor, and their children – Ethel aged 5, Archibald aged 4, and Hilda aged 2 – all lived at the ‘Crown Inn’ in Duddington, but by the time of the 1901 Census, this family (apparently minus Ethel but now with the addition of Cyril aged 8, Hugh aged 4 and Sara aged 3), are now recorded as living at ‘144 North Street’ in Uppingham. Uppingham (in Oakham) is situated 8.6 miles to the west of Duddington. This means this family (and my last direct Wyles relative to have been born in Duddington – Archibald – my great grandfather) left Duddington at some point between 1891 – 1901. We believe Archibald left for Birmingham (from Uppingham) around 1906 when he was 18 years old. However, his grandmother – Mary Ann Wyles (1839-1917), the wife of Thomas Wyles Jnr (1824-1887) - continued to live in Duddington until her passing in 1917 (where she was buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church).
References:
Oxford Companion to the English Language’ (ed. T McArthur, OUP 1992), Pages 494-495 and Page 1138-1139.
A Dictionary of English Surnames by PH Reaney and RM Wilson (Routledge: third edition, 1991), Page 493.
Online References (Accessed 20.7.2019):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_de_la_Wyle
https://www.british-history.ac.uk/fasti-ecclesiae/1066-1300/vol4/pp1-7
http://www.rampantscotland.com/ragman/blragman_w.htm
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/surnames_01.shtml
https://www.sarahwoodbury.com/life-expectancy-in-the-middle-ages/
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/wyles-family-gravestones.html
http://bosworth.ff.cuni.cz/asearch?
page=2788&order=title&sort=asc&quicktabs_3=0&title_op=contains&title=&title_1_op=contains&title_1=&body_op=contain
s&body=&body_1_op=contains&body_1=&items_per_page=20
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/etymology-wyles-family-name.html
http://www.jogg.info/pages/32/bird.htm
https://www.eupedia.com/forum/threads/28869-E1b1b1-E3b-E-M35-E-V13-in-the-UK
http://www.jogg.info/pages/32/bird.htm
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-baptisms-1650-1812.html
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-marriages-1650-1860.html
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-marriages-1650-1860.html
https://wylesfamilyofduddington.weebly.com/duddington-area-burials-1700-1865.html