Armorial Head

 

H.S.H. Douglas Buchanan Bailey
13th Armorial Head of House Bailey

 

Biography of the Bailey Line

Family historians assert that the family is from Sir Alexander Balliol, Uncle of John Balliol, King of Scotland. The same John defeated by Robert de Bruce and ancestor of Olive Hand Bailey.

Sir Alexander married Isabel, daughter of Richard de Chellam toward the end of the 13th century and was the father of 2 sons, Andrew and William. Of these William is said to have been the father of Sir William Baillie, living in 1308 who married the daughter of Sir William Wallace, who's son was named William. The father of Sir William Baillie, of Lamington and Stoprig, County Lanark, was succeeded by his son, Sir William Baillie who was the father of Sir William Baillie, father of another Sir William Baillie, whose son William Baillie,of Lamington, married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Douglas, whose son Sir William Baillie married Janet Hamilton, the daughter of James, Earl of Arran in the first half of the 16th century. They were followed by sons Sir William Baillie (never had children) and brother (Christian name unkown), father of Reverend Lewis Baily who accompanied King James I to England in 1603. Rev. Lewis Baily married Anne, daughter of Sir Henry Bagenal and was the father of Nicholas Bayly whose son Sir Edward, was created a Baronet of Ireland in 1730. His son Nicholas Baily was the father of Henry Baily, Earl of Uxbridge.

The line from our 12th great grandfather William Bayly, whose son Thomas was born in Wiltshire by his first wife Anne Short is strongly connected by tradition to the Younger Scottish Line that moved through Ireland and the line of Sir Baily that went with the first crusades with Richard the Lionhearted and ended up on record in Oxfordshire, England in 1273.

The first mention of a signet or device used by the family was a lion passet (on 3 legs with one paw up) registerd by William Bailey in 1550. That device was used until the 1600s.

In the late 1600s, Joel Bailey with William Penn founded Pennsylvania. Joel Bailey is still listed as an original founding member. He was granted 400 acres and was appointed Constable of Middletown on January 9th, 1697. Part of his duty was to always be at monthly town meetings. His son was to marry Elizabeth Harry, daughter of Hugh Harry and Brinton. This joining of families was truly favorable as the Harry family were the high sheriffs of Montgomeryshire Wales and brought with them lines of a who's who of major noble lines and Kings of Europe. This family married twice into the Bailey family line. During this time the use of the lion Passet just stopped and no family device was used.

Until recently the Bailey family was organized loosely as a large family group. The family then asserted their historical rights that they have upon the death of the father of the current armorial head. Douglas Bailey had a family gathering, and with the help of Lowell Bailey, contacted the Bureau of Heraldry and went through the legal process for receiving the Grant of Arms, as well as updating it, which is the right of every generation if they so wish. This update was past due considering the bloodlines within the family. The version of the Grant of Arms that exists today is due to the multitude of royal lines that are within the family tree. The rematriculated arms that are seen today, as passed by act of the Bureau of Heraldry, are granted to the current Armorial Head of House Bailey.