INITIAL NOTES
SCHOLEY, (Cadwell, Beds). Confirmed 6th June, 1582. AZ. on a bend ar. three gurts. Description of a coat of arms issued
to Richard Scholey in 1580
SCHOLEY, (Gober(Gawber) Hall, Yorks) the same. The British Herald(book 2) or Cabinet or Ar-morial bearings, by Thomas Robson,
Pub. 1830.
If this is to be accepted as an accurate record then the words "the same" in the second entry appear to refer to the description
of the coat of arms, all awards are different so the implication is that Richard while living at Cadwell, Bedfordshire had
his roots at Gawber Hall (Gorber) near Barnsley Yorkshire. This explains reference to kin in Yorkshire and moves us a step
closer to connecting the American Schooleys with the Yorkshire Scholeys (D Scholey note)
SCHOLEY, a dexter hand brandishing a sword. Royal Book of Crests of Great Britain and Ire-land, page 159, crest 7.
"GRANTEE OF ARMS" SCHOLEY, RICHARD, of Cadwell; Bedford, confirmed 6th June, 1582. By Flower, MS. Ashm. 834. Fo. 54b. Copy
of Grant, Bodleian Lib. Guild, 360. Publications of Harleian Society, Vol. LXVI, p. 224
"Visitations" by officers of Arms, acting under a Royal Commission, took place about 1580, 1620, and 1666, who investigated
all ARMS and Confirmed or Denied them, and destroyed all vehicles, plate &c which bore assumed inscriptions. The Right
to Bear Arms, p. 230.
"A simple Coat of Arms, such as ‘Azure, a bend’ (r), or ‘Gules, a lion rampant argent,’it is now
impossible to obtain from the College of Armor Heralds; and it is because they have been appropriated for so long that a simple
Coat of Arms has become what it is, a sign of an ancient House; simple Coats are urgently desired by all who make pretentions
to the rights to armorial bearings." "A Coat of Arms did not belong with a family name, but only to the particular family
bearing the name to whose progenitor it had been granted or confirmed."
THE BEND is a bearing of high honor and probably represents either the scarf, or the shield suspender of a Knight or Military
Commander.
THE HURT is called a plate, and denotes generosity. The old heralds have at-tached batious names and significations to
these round figures.
MOTTO-Under heraldic law, any user of any Arms may adopt and use any motto desired. In the case of older Arms, none is
recorded, but rarely.
Richard Scholey of Co. Yorks, registered at Oxford University. 1379 - P. T. Yorks, Johannes de Scoley. 1379 - Robertus
and Ricardus de Scoley. English and Welsh Surnames, by Bardsley. "Scholey-Richard de Scoleio, Normandy, 1198. (MRS.) Schooley,
for Scholey." Manuscripts year 1198. The Norman People, King, London,
1874.
THE NAME OF SCHOLEY-SCHOOLEY IN ENGLAND
Numerous instances have been found in authentic records, such as parish church registers and military rolls and court decrees
and sen-tences relating to estates which establish the great antiquity of the name of Scholey-Schooley in England. More frequent
mention of the name may be found in the various records or documents pertaining to religious or commercial life in Yorkshire,
though the name often appears in other counties of England in ancient, as well as in modern times.
The one personality with which most of the Schooleys in America are interested was the immigrant from England, John Scholey,
Senior, the father of Robert, Thomas and John Junior, who with their descendants made the bulk of the history of this booklet.
John Scholey was born, or baptised, in the year 1609 in Northhamp-shire in England. His father was Richard Scholey, whose
residence was at Easton-on-the-Hill, in the Barony of Stamford, near the city of Stamford.
This Richard had three sons-Richard, John and Anthony. Richard was the eldest and Anthony the youngest. Richard and John,
while quite young men at home with their father’s family, had received the usuary from leases and tenements owned by
their father at Colleweston and Stewkeley.
About the year 1631 these two brothers went northward into Yorkshire, and apparently among relatives. Both remained for
many years, it appears, and had their homes at times in the parish of Aston cum Aughton, in the Wapentake of Strafforth and
Tickhill, in the West Ridings of Yorkshire, about six miles east from Sheffield and about four miles south from Rotherham.
John Scholey, Sr., was married with Elizabeth Fletcher, daughter of Richard and Alice (Ellice) Fletcher. All were then
of the parish of Rotherham. They were married on the 23rd of April, in the year of 1633. (Rotherham Marriage Registers).
To John and Elizabeth were born Richard in 1636, who in 1667 married Elizabeth Greene of the par-ish of Rotherham. (Rotherham
Registers). He died in 1686 and was buried at All Saints of Aston Parish. (Parish burial register).
Ellen, who died in 1654, was of Rotherham and in that year married Henrye Barton of Par-Aughton.
William was born in 1640 and died in 1714. His residence was at Aughton, and he was a member of the Friends Meetings of
Balby. (English Friends Records).
Robert was born in the year 1648 in Hemsworth West Yorkshire and married Sarah Bingham. He died in America in the year
1689. Thomas was born in 1650, married in 1686 in America to Sarah Parker, and died in 1724 in America. (Note-Robert and Thomas
each had a daughter named Elizabeth, and each had a son named William, born in America).
John Scholey’s (Scoley), Sr., second marriage was in 1660 with Isa-belle Hancock, daughter of Robert and -Hancock,
of the parish of Sheffield. (Sheffield Marriage Registers). To this mating was born "John sonne of John’ Scholey, Oct.
15, 1676." (Registers of All Saints of Aston Parish). He become known in America as John Scholey, Junior. (Note--John, Jr.,
had a daughter named Isabel).
The principal home of this branch of the Schooleys in England was about one-half mile west of the ancient village of Aughton,
and was known as Scholey’sCopse or as Smallage Farm. These properties were known as the Scho-ley homes for scores of
years. This farm, of about eighty acres, lies on an elevation and has a good view of Aughton and Aston, and also west-ward
over the Valley of the Rother to Woodhouse and Handsworth, about one and a half, and two miles away.
Near Smallage House are the ages-old woodlands, Falconer Wood, Treeton Wood and Hail Mary Wood. The principal roadway westward
from Aughton was Smallage Lane, which leads past Smallage House and down the hill to Woodhouse Hill station of the Great Central
Railway and the North Midland Line which roads traverse the Rother Valley.
The River Rother meanders through the meadows of the valley on its way
northeasterly, and joins the River Don at Bow Bridge in Rotherham. The ancient rural beauty of this sec-tion of country
is now marred by unsightly colleries.
The parish church of the parish of Aston is All Saints at Aston, a half-mile southeast from Aughton. The church overlooks
large Aston Park. The antiquity of this church is proven by an unbroken register of Rectors from the year 1259, avers the
Rotherham Daily Advertiser.
The registers of members’ baptisms, marriages and burials reach back hundreds of years. They have names of many Scholeys,
spelled in several variations Nicholas Scholey was one of the Wardens of this church in 1669. In the old and now closed burial
ground of All Saints are the burial vaults of Scholeys in the years 1500 to 1600. Inscriptions on the vaults bear the names
of Scholeys of Smallage House.
RICHARD SCHOLEY, of Stamford Baron, father of John of Aughton, died in the year 1638. His will bore the date of September
3rd of that year and was probated 23rd of October, 1638.
The son, ANTHONY, was then "under age 21," but in the following month he was allowed to act as executor of his father’s
will. This wili provided that the testator be buried in the church yard of the Parish Church of St. Martins, in Stamford,
Baron. Bequests were made therein "to the poore of Easton-on-the-Hill,""to my son, Anthonie, the house in St. Martins, also
the house in Easton wherein I now live."
(Records of Prerogative Court).
Richard Scholey, of Stamford Baron, was the son of Richard Schoo-ley and Amy --------, his wife, of Cadwell, in Bedfordshire.
Cadwell was located about one mile west from the town of Bedford on the River Ouse, which was the location of the Priory of
the Order of the Holy Cross, es-tablished in the reign of King John. Richard of Bedford died in the year 1590 and left an
estate. The Prerogative Court, at Michaelmas term 23d of October, 1591, denied the allegations of Richard as not proven. "Allegations
of the defendant, Amy, at Second of All Souls, 4th of Nov. in said year (1591) has been proved." "Now we pronounce that said
Amy is relict of s’d Dec’d and is entitled to administer his goods." "Ad’m thefore to said Amy S., dated
Tuesday, 13th June, 1592." -(
Adm. Act. Book, 1592).
Note from David Scholey The above paragraph indicates that there had been a dispute between the widow and the son which
the son lost, although I have no evidence I suspect that Amy was a second wife and resented by the son. Whatever the reason
he is sent packing with a flea in his ear and later his sons travelled from his home to Yorkshire where they had kin and later
began the massive immigration to the new colonies (at the time) of America. It is interesting that Robert was born in Hemsworth
which still had Scholeys in modern days and can be tracked back to 1440 so increasing the likelihood that American
Schooleys and UK Scholeys are quite directly related, if we could find the nature of the "kin in Yorkshire" then we would
be much closer to proving the link and to establishing Richards earlier background . He was of course awarded his coat of
arms on a visitation by the Norray King of Arms , this character would not have had responsibility for Bedford where Richard
lived but would have been responsible for Yorkshire