Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Cleyley 1506 ChRR 1536 Add42134A 1525 Orm2 1558 Sheaf 1585

• Cleley 1506 Orm2 1537,1648 Sheaf

• Cleby 1724 NotCestr

• Clayley, Cloyley Hall 1838 TA

Etymology

Clayley Hall, Cleyley 1506 (1536) ChRR, 1525Add 42134A, 1558 Orm2, 1585 Sheaf, Cleley 1506 Orm2, 1537, 1648 Sheaf, Cleby 1724 NotCestr (for Cleley ), Clayley , Cloyley Hall 1838TA 'clearing on clayey ground', from clǣg and lēah , with hall . Add 43134A, f.3r, (date 1525), refers to Cleyley as held of Dodleston castle (157 infra ) by Morgan de Milton (infra ) in the thirteenth century, and quotes the forms Cleyhull , Cleyhullesichec 13 (1525), v. clǣg , hyll , sīc . It is not clear what evidence there is for the historical reference, or the suggested identification of the thirteenth- century form with Clayley. The spelling -sichec suggests that the final el. sīc appears in a derivative form, perhaps with the suffix -uc .