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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2000-02 > 0949550375


From: Mac McCutchan <>
Subject: Re: Bells book of Ulster Surnames.
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2000 22:59:35 -0500


Deanne Bailey Stump asked, "Please look up the surname of Bailey. As I
am researching my family name and need all the background available."

First off, Deanne, I'd suggest addressing your messages simply to the
list, rather than to individuals. That way, it seems to me that you're
more likely to get expert advice from those best able to provide it (and
that isn't necessarily me). Having said that, here's what Bell's Book
of Ulster Surnames has to say regarding Bailey:

Bell spells the name both Bailie and Bailey. The name, in both England
and Scotland, is of Norman origin. Most of the Bailies in Northern
Ireland (Ulster) are of Scottish origin. In Scotland, the four most
important Bailie/Bailey families were of Lamington and Jerviswood in
Lanarkshire, Polkemmet in West Lothian, and Douchfour in
Inverness-shire.
In Ulster, Counties Down and Antrim are the two main centers for the
name. The "ie" ending is common in both counties, but the "ey" ending
is more common in County Antrim.
The family first arrived from Scotland at the time of the Ulster
Plantation (1606-1610). William Bailie of Finlayston, Renfrewshire,
Scotland, was one of the fifty undertakers of the Plantation, and in
1610 he was granted 1,000 acres in the barony of Clankee in County
Cavan. By 1622 he had built Bailieborough Castle, around which the town
of Bailieborough grew. Another of the families became an important
family in County Down, the Bailies of Innishargy. In the mid-19th
century, by far the greatest concentration of the name was found on the
Ards Peninsula, County Down, in the parish of Ardkeen.
A separate source, Hanna's "The Scotch-Irish", lists births by
surname in Ireland in 1890. In that year, there were 80 babies born
with the Bailey surname in all of Ireland. Of these, 44 were born in
Ulster, mostly in Counties Antrim and Down, which bears out Bell's
information on the family's location. This equates to a population of
Baileys of about 3,600 in all of Ireland, and roughly 1,900-2,000 in
Ulster.
Perhaps others on the list can contribute additional information -

Mac McCutchan

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