Notwithstanding the "de" attached to the earliest occurrence of this name in Scotland, it is most certainly derived from OF. boilli, the bailie or bailiff. The earliest record of the name in Scotland is in 1311—12, when one William de Bailli appears as juror on an inquest concerning forfeited lands in Lothian (Bain, III, 245), and in 1315 was one of the witnesses to a charter by John de Graham, lord of Abercorn (RHM., I, 20). This Bailli, says Mr. Bain (m, intro, p. LXIII), is without doubt Baillie of Hoperig, ancestor of the family which acquired and has since been known as of Lambinston or Lamington. "It is curious," he adds, "that nothing seems to be known of the real origin of the family. There is nothing here to favour the Clydesdale tradition that the first of them was a Balliol who changed his name. For Balliol was an existing surname long after this date in Scotland." (It was a popular belief that Baillie was substituted for Balliol on account of the unpopularity of the two kings of that name.) The Baillies are now divided into many families, the principal branches of which are those of Lamington, Jerviswood, Polkemmet and Dochfour. The Baillies of Dunain are said to have been founded by Alexander, a younger son of the House of Lamington. Isobel Bailie in the Steal] parish of Moonzie, 1719 (St. Andrews). Baile 1728, Bailie 1685, Bailive 1687, Baill 1723, Bailie 1642, Baillye 1650, Baillyie 1650, Baillze 1644, Bailyne 1687, Bailze 1545, Bailzea 1650 Bailzie 1679, Bailie 1558, Bally, 1548, Baly 1682, Balyi 1574, Baize 1474, Balzie 1621, Baylie 1673, Bayllie 1679, Baylly 1680, Baylze 1522, Baylzie 1668, Beal 1811, Beale 1794; and Bailly, Bailyow, Baleus.

(Anglo-French-Latin) Bailiff, Steward. [Middle English bayly, baillie, baili(f, &c„ O. French baili(f, Low Latin bajuliv-us; Latin bajul-us, prim. 'porter,' later steward] Henry le Baillie.—Writs of Parl.

John le Baillif.—Cal. Inq. P.M.

A bayly toke this werk in hond: Was callid Cyrynus in that lond.

Cursor Mundi, 11,195-6. Grayvis [reeves], and baylys, and parker Schone [shall] come to acountes every yere.— The Boke of Curtasye, 589-90.

(English, Scottish) One charged with public administrative authority in a certain district by the king or a lord; one who acted as agent for the lord in the management of the affairs of the manor; one who came from Bailey (clearing where berries grew), in Lancashire.

1. From Bailli, in the arrondissement of Neufchatel; Bailli in that of Dieppe, in Normandy; Bailey, a township in Lancashire; or Bailie, a township in Cumberland. 2. Another form of bailiff, a title of office applied in many ways under our feudal and municipal laws. 3. A name given to the courts of a castle formed by the spaces between the circuits of walls or defences which surround the keep. Gloss. Arch.

The Scottish form of Bailiff or Bailey. See Bailey.

A bailiff.

A name of office; a corruption of Bailiff, which is derived from the French bailler, to deliver. A municipal officer in Scotland corresponding to an alderman.

(French.) Baille, a bailiff; same as Bailey.

From the Norman office of Le Bailli, a species of Viscount or Sheriff. The name occurs as Bailof in Battle Abbey roll. The office, being one of importance, was usually held by Normans of rank. The Baillies of Scotland are a branch of the De Quincys, Earls of Winchester. Richard de Quincy came to England at the Conquest from Quincy in Maine, and had Robert Fitz-Richard, who m. Matilda de Senlis (Mon. ii. 75). Saber, his son (Mon. ii. 78), was father of Saber (the first of the family known to Dugdale), who in 1165 held lands in Bedford and Northants (Liber Niger), and in 1180 was Bailli of Nonancourt and Loye, Normandy (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). Hence the name of 'Le Bailli.' He m. Maude de Senlis, and had, 1, Robert, who invaded Ireland with Earl Strongbow, and was Seneschal of Leinster; 1174 witnessed in Scotland a charter of King William the Lion for Kelso; had a grant of the barony of Tranent, in Scotland; and was Justiciary of Scotland. He d. s. p., and was succeeded by his brother, 2, Saher, Earl of Winchester, whose son Roger, Earl of W. and Constable of Scotland, d. 1264, leaving coheiresses. 3. Simon de Quincy, third son of Saher ‘Le Bailli,’ was ancestor of a line which took that name. He witnessed a charter of Earl Saher, 1214-1219 (Registr. de Newbattle). David de Quincy, his son, appears, c. 1230 (Ib.). Sir John de Quincy, or ‘Le Bailli,’ his son, witnessed a charter of David Marischall (Chart. S. Crucis), and 1292 was one of those who consented to leave the determination of the succession question to Edward I. Sir William Bailli, his son, Lord of Hoprig (part of the De Quincy barony of Tranent), m. the dau. of the heroic Wallace, Regent of Scotland; and from him descended the Baillies of Lamington and their various branches.

Bailey. —Although several explanations of the origin of this surname are usually given, its wide distribution renders it probable that in the great majority of cases it is a form of "bailiff." With the exceptions of the northern counties of England and of the four south - western counties, its distribution is pretty general. The principal centres or homes are now found in Hants, Gloucestershire, and Staffordshire. Baillie is the Scottish form of the name. I should have mentioned that the bailiffs of the old days were often municipal officers, and performed the duties of the more modern mayors.

Over half a dozen variations of the name remain in common use. These range from Baillie and Bayly to Baylis and Bayless.

Bailey is an occupational name deriving from the Old French words ‘abillif’ and ‘baillis’. In medieval times a bailiff was anything from a Crown official to a King’s officer in a town or county, a keeper of a Royal household, or simply a Sheriff’s deputy. On feudal estates he was often a manorial official of some importance. For instance, the medieval records for the Manor of Droxford show the bailiff as receiving no less than the sum of £6 per annum-whereas the ploughman received only 8 shillings: a mere 1/15th of the bailiff’s wage (the poor shepherds received only 4 shillings). What’s more, the bailiff lived in the manor house at his lord’s expense. For this princely wage, he acted as a kind of agricultural supervisor-cum-foreman for his lord’s estate. His task was to make sure that the lands were properly and efficiently farmed, and to allot tasks to the workers. If a feudal lord was lazy or away at the Crusades, the bailiff virtually ran the estate. Thus he was a key man in its financial success or failure.

The name Bailey came across to England with William the Conqueror-probably in its original form of Bailiff. The origins of this name remain obscure, though it is possible that it derives from the Ancient Roman word for a burden-bajalus. Thus, a bailiff would be a person who bore a burden, or responsibility. The first English mention of the name Bailey appears in the thirteenth century. It is mentioned in the Friar’s Tale by Chaucer (‘ “Artow then a bayley?” “Ye”, quod he.’); Harry Bailey was the name of the Host in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a certain Alvered Ballivus (the Latinised form) appears in the records for Lincolnshire.

The name Bailey is also common in Scotland, where a Scots alderman is still referred to as a bailie. The earliest Scottish mention comes in the 1311—13 records for Lothian, where one William de Baillie appears as a juror. The ‘de’ means this name almost certainly refers to a place, probably a keep or castle. In Lancashire also the surname Bailey appears as de Baylegh (1246), from the place Bailey (near Stonyhurst), a name meaning ‘glade where berries grow’.

During this time, and in subsequent centuries, there was some confusion about the name Bailey (or Baillie and so on) in Scotland. According to popular Clydeside myth all Baileys had originally been called Balliol, but changed their names because of the two unpopular Scottish kings of that name. In most instances this was not the case.

In medieval times a bailey was a fort surrounded by a deep ditch and protected on the inside by a wooden palisade.

The Old Bailey, London’s Central Criminal Court, is named for the street in which it stands, whose name in turn derives from the days when a medieval fort stood on the location which was just outside the City’s walls.

The Bailey Bridge invented by Sir Donald Bailey was first used in 1942—3. Made of uniform prefabricated girders, it was easy to transport and erect, yet strong enough to bear tanks or trains.

The Baily Cup (1920 on) is the top prize in British Amateur Real Tennis doubles.

Baily’s beads, named for their discoverer Francis Baily (1774—1844), are seen during an eclipse of the sun. Just before total eclipse, the narrow crescent of the sun’s rays is broken by the moon’s mountains and valleys. Seen from the earth, this gives a bead-like effect.

Since ‘baile’ means town in Gaelic, Ireland abounds in the name and in the corruption ‘Baily’, such as Bally castle and Ballyshannon. Baile Atha Cliath (town at the ford of the hurdles) is Dublin’s official Gaelic name.

The only town to bear a version of this surname in the United Kingdom is Bailleston. However, there are two Baileys in the United States and South Africa also has a town so named.

With about 107,000 namesakes, Bailey is the 49th most popular surname in England and Wales. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Bailey is notably popular in and around Leicester where an estimated one in about 390 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Manchester, Sheffield and Bristol are other Bailey strongholds. Around the world Baileys are most common in Montreal (one in 683 families), Canberra (one in 1,000) and Sydney (one in 1,122). The United States has more Baileys than the entire population of Plymouth-an estimated total of just over 275,000 makes this their 60th most popular surname.