DOLBY, William

  General Notes:

Surname: Dolby
"This interesting surname is of Old Norse origin, and is a locational name from any one of the places called Dolby, in Leicestershire, near Melton Mowbray, in Lincolnshire, near Spilsby, and in the North Riding of Yorkshire, near Terrington. All three places are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Dalbi", and all share the same meaning and derivation, which is "farm in the valley", from the Old Norse "dalr", valley, with "byr", farm, settlement. The surname is found most frequently in Yorkshire, and therefore probably derives mainly from Dolby in that county. Locational surnames were mostly acquired by those former inhabitants of a place who had moved to another area, and were thereafter best identified by the name of their birthplace. The surname is first recorded in the mid 12th Century (see below), and can also be found as Dalby, Dalbey, Daulby, Dolbey and the apparently Norman form D'Aulby. Thomas Dolbe is noted in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire (1273). On September 17th 1605, Richard Dolby married Dorothie Barrett at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, and Nicholas Dolby married Anna Harrison on October 19th 1623 at St. Peter's, Paul's Wharf, London. A Coat of Arms granted to the Dolby family is a Barry wavy of six silver and red, the Crest being a silver demi griffin couped, winged and beaked gold. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Matthew de Dalbi, which was dated 1160, in the "Documents relating to the Danelaw", Lincolnshire, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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."

The 1841 UK census show William & Amy Dolby with William's father Thomas at Bowers Cottage Horley, Surrey, England.
William Dolby 30 - Head Ag Lab
Amy Dolby 25
Thomas Dolby 65 - Ag Lab
William Dolby 5
James Dolby 2
Elizabeth Dolby 1
John Roffey 25 - Ag Lab
William Wicks 35 - Ag Lab

The 1851 UK census shows William & Amy at Dolby Cottage, Horley Street, Horley, Surrey, England.
William Dolby 45 - Head Mar Farm Labourer born Leigh, Surrey
Amy Dolby 34
Jas Dolby 72 - (mistake in transcript) James 12 Son Farm Labourer born Horley, Surrey
Eliz Dolby 10 - Dau Scholar born Horley, Surrey
Mary Dolby 8 - Dau born Horley, Surrey
Geo Dolby 6 - Son Scholar born Horley, Surrey
James Dolby 2 - Dau born Horley, Surrey - mistake in transcript shoulb be Jane
Thos Dolby 3 - Son born Horley, Surrey
Jno Dolby 6 Mo - Son born Horley, Surrey

The 1861 UK census shows William with his children at Horley, Surrey, England - still married but no sign of wife Amy.
William Dolby 51- Head Mar Ag Lab born Horley Surrey
James Dolby 22 - Son Ag Lab born Horley, Surrey
Thomas Dolby 13 - Son Ag Lab born Horley, Surrey
Jane Dolby12 - Dau born Horley, Surrey
John Dolby 10 - Son born Horley, Surrey
Sarah Dolby 8 - Dau born Horley, Surrey
Eleanor Dolby 5 - Dau born Horley, Surrey

The 1871 UK census shows William & Amy at Victoria Road, Horley, Surrey, England.
Note mistake in transcript should be Dolby not Dalby
William Dalby 62 - Head Mar Ag Lab born Horley, Surrey
Amy Dalby 55 - Wife Mar born Horley, Surrey
William Dalby 34 - Son Unm Labourer on Railway born Horley, Surrey
John Dalby 20 - Son Unm Labourer in Brickey born Horley, Surrey
Sarah Dalby 18 - Dau Unm Domestic Serv born Horley, Surrey
Ellen Dalby 15 - Dau Scholar born Horley, Surrey
George Lanaway 20 - Lodger Unm Bricklayers Labourer born Horley, Surrey

Death
Deaths Mar 1874
Dolby William Age 65 Reigate, Surrey Vol 2aPage 109

William married Amy HARMSTON Sept Qtr 1838 in Newark, England. (Amy HARMSTON was born circa 1817 in Horley, Surrey, England and died June Qtr 1881 in Surrey, England.)

  Marriage Notes:

Marriage Information found in the Free BMD web site.
Marriages Sep 1838
DOLBY William Newark 15689
HARMSTON Ann Newark 15689
I am unsure if this is the correct marriage but have been unable to find William Dolby marrying "Amy" and think "Ann" is a mistake in the transcript.