Origin of the surname

This is an English habitation surname. It originates from the village of Cockayne Hatley in Bedfordshire, recorded as Hattenleia, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of 960 AD or from East Hatley and Hatley St. George, recorded as Hateleia in the Cambridge Inquisitions of 1080. The three villages are situated close together on a piece of raised land, the first element is said to have derive from "hatt", meaning the top of the hill, with "leah", a fenced area suitable for farming. Cockayne Hatley came into the possession of the Cockayne family in 1417, and Hatley St. George was held by Sir Baldwin de Sancto Georgio in 1282. Habitation surnames, were given to the lord of the manor as a means of identification to those who left to settle elsewhere. The first recorded spelling of the name in parish registers is thought to be that of one John Hatley. He married Agnes Barlow at Grantchester, Cambridgeshire, January 23rd 1541. Other early mentions of the name are Arnold de Hateleia 1198 Bedfordshire Fleet of Fines and Agnes de Hatleye 1275 Subsidy Rolls Worchestershire.

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