Origin of the Name Ellaway
The
Ellaway family history was found in the allfamilycrests.com archives. Variants of Ellaway include Allaway, Allvey, Alvey and Elvey. This is a baptismal name meaning 'the son of Aldwy', a personal name found in very early times. Land in Somerton, County Norfolk, was granted to Alwy of Tetford, by William the Conqueror. This name is of English descent and is found in many ancient manuscripts in the above country. Examples of such are a Robert Alewi, County Oxfordshire, who was recorded in the 'Hundred Rolls', in the year 1273 and a William Aldwy, County Oxfordshire, who was also recorded in the same year in this ancient document.
Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by creating, maintaining and updating these reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.
In Ireland Ellaway and its variants were introduced into Ulster Province by settlers from England and Scotland , especially during the seventeenth century.
The Ellaway coat of arms came into existence centuries ago. The process of creating coats of arms (also often called family crests) began in the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this. The new art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own coat of arms, including all Ellaway descendants.