Derived from the Old English locational words 'waca's-ley' translating as 'the farm of Wake', the name is usually of Yorkshire origin and has been recorded under a variety of spellings including: Walkely, Wakely, Wackley etc.. It is possible that some name holders may derive from the village of Wakely in Hertfordshire, but if so we have no published proof. There is a Coat of Arms given to one Roger Walkley of York circa 1790 which is silver, crossed with a black bend on which are charged three foxes heads. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Wakeley, which was dated 1332, The Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, during the reign of King Edward 111, 'The Father of the Navy', 1327 - 1377. 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.

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