Chorley, Charley, Churley family

Investigation of the Somerset Protestation Returns and Lay Subsidy 1641-42 revealed the surnames Chorley, Charley and Churley and that they appear to be interchangeable. There are far more Chorley entries in Somerset than any other but Charley is the usual spelling in Devon. There aren't any Charley family members in Devon on the 1641-42 Protestation Returns that I collected but I didn't do all of Devon. I do have the Subsidy Rolls for the 1500s and 1600s in Devon and no Charley families are listed but there is a Robert Chorley and a Joan Chorley at Tiverton in the 1581 Subsidy. In the 1545 Subsidy they are nine members of the Churley family listed (including a widow Joan, John, Edward and William and all are in the Bampton or Tiverton Hundred. This does tend to add credence to the theory that the Charley, Churley and Chorley family are one in the same with the spelling being inconsistent between years. There is a Charley family found at Bampton (descendants of the family at Tiverton perhaps) in the early 1700s in the Freeholder records. The earliest Parish Record at Kentisbury is the baptism of Hugh Charley 25 Jan 1676. Mary Charley baptized 21 Sep 1735 and the daughter of Hugh and Mary Charley is my ancestor. The father of Hugh was John Charley who is a freeholder at Kentisbury Devon (or perhaps a son of John Charley as there is a John Charley baptized at Kentisbury 26 Feb 1680).

Another part of my day yesterday was spent transcribing the Bishops Nympton marriages from 1795 to 1797. Although this is cut and paste for the most part I do not appear to be going quickly! I am finding a number of interesting marriages and so I am into my Legacy files fitting them into their family lines. The witnesses are often very interesting (I could have wished that for John Pincombe and Mary Charlie's marriage but it just wasn't so) for some of these marriages helping me to connect loose ends in some cases. I did have a query about George Spencer a few years back that I could add more details to the answer. Perhaps they will write again to query George Spencer.