The “Wyles as Jutes” Origination Theory!
By Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD
When I first started using the internet – around 2000 – one of the first sites I encountered was established by “Thomas Wyles” of Kent. Although this site no longer exists, (it had stopped functioning even by 2009 – the year we started investigating our Wyles surname) I remember that this gentleman stated that his “Wyles” surname originated from the Jute invasion of England. Of course, at the time, I had no idea who the Jutes were, and possessed no knowledge of any connection with such people. Bear in mind, I also did not know of any connection with the Wyles people of Kent. Indeed, no one in my broader family knew of any such connection. Compared to my upbringing, Kent seemed “exotic” to me. What evidence did Thomas Wyles possess to prove that the “Wyles” surname derived from the Jute people? Even today, after 16-years of continuous research, I have never encountered the word “Jute” in my research of the Duddington Wyles family. If anyone from the Kent Wyles family read this – please contact me via email and we can establish a dialogue.
What follows below, as an attempt to apply “Occam's razor” – which suggests that when faced with a number of competing explanations - the simplest explanation is usually correct. The exact origin of the “Wyles” surname is not known. There are, however, a number of competing theories. The surname of “Wyles” which I possess was clustered around the Duddington area (of Northamptonshire) – and research demonstrates that it has been like this for over the last 400-years (approximately 1500-1900) – with a “Wyles” registered as living in Bourne as early as 1301 (Bourne is situated 17.5 miles Northeast of Duddington). The Oxford academic who provided me with this information was of the opinion that this might have been my first ‘Wyles’ ancestor living in the area (as he could not find any others - prior to those we know lived in Duddington and King’s Cliffe during the early 1520s). I am not so sure about these assumptions – as I think a lack of tangible records is the reason for the “gaps” in our genealogical knowledge. My current thinking is that the Duddington Wyles family is distinct from the cluster of Wyles-Wiles people who live in Kent today – and which can demonstrate a long history living in the Kent area (a history comprising of many centuries). Is my assumption correct?
Whilst traversing the path of Wyles genealogical research, I have gathered a number of interesting – but disconnected - facts, which at the time lacked any coherent (underlying) factor connecting them altogether. Today, however, Diane Wyles (my mother), has gathered information that not only (potentially) joins these facts together, but might also provide a coherent argument for the Kent and Duddington Wyles families being a) historically connected, and b) originating from the same ethnic source. As this is the case, the above map is important as it demonstrates how the “Jutes” first settled in a post-Roman Britain - around the year 575 CE. The Jutes were a Germanic tribe who landed by sea in Southeast Britain – sailing from the Jutland Peninsula (now North Denmark). The Jutes settled parts of what is now Kent, the Isle of Wight, and Hampshire. This information allows me to weave together a new theory. This theory is as follows:
A ‘name” expert from Nottingham University stated that they thought the surname “Wyles” might have originated from the place named “Wile” - located in Hampshire. No more details were forthcoming - and I have not been able to locate this place. I assume the name may have changed and evolved overtime. If correct, then the Jutes may well have migrated to Hampshire from Kent. A surname book published by Oxford University states that the surnames “Wyles-Wiles” is literally linked to the word “wile” (usually used in its plural form of “wiles”) – meaning ‘clever’, ‘devious’, and ‘cunning’, etc. According to this book, a group of people (living in an undisclosed place), mastered the art of “hunting eels” – devising “clever” and “devious” traps to catch these animals.
If the Jutes were the people who mastered the art of eel-capturing in an area of Hampshire that was subsequently renamed “Wile” – then this could be the origin of the surname “Wyles-Wiles” (Another Oxford academic informed me that it is more than likely that the variant of the surname “Wiles” is by far the earlier spelling – and that my family ancestry became associated with the “Wyles” variant at a later date – possibly as the result of an official writing the name this way when recording a birth, Christening, marriage, or death, etc). Perhaps these newly named Hampshire “Wiles” people migrated in two directions – with one branch heading back into Kent (taking the “Wiles” surname with them and establishing the Kent Wyles-Wiles cluster) – whilst another branch headed Northeast to Duddington (a journey of some 134 miles). Between the arrival of the Jutes in Britain in 574 CE and earliest known Wyles appearing in Bourne in 1301 – there is 727-years – ample time for even a relatively sedate or staggered migration to take place. As Bourne is situated further North of Duddington, it could be that far more people named “Wyles” already lived in and around Duddington at the time by 1301 (these people just did not show-up on official records at the time).
What follows below, as an attempt to apply “Occam's razor” – which suggests that when faced with a number of competing explanations - the simplest explanation is usually correct. The exact origin of the “Wyles” surname is not known. There are, however, a number of competing theories. The surname of “Wyles” which I possess was clustered around the Duddington area (of Northamptonshire) – and research demonstrates that it has been like this for over the last 400-years (approximately 1500-1900) – with a “Wyles” registered as living in Bourne as early as 1301 (Bourne is situated 17.5 miles Northeast of Duddington). The Oxford academic who provided me with this information was of the opinion that this might have been my first ‘Wyles’ ancestor living in the area (as he could not find any others - prior to those we know lived in Duddington and King’s Cliffe during the early 1520s). I am not so sure about these assumptions – as I think a lack of tangible records is the reason for the “gaps” in our genealogical knowledge. My current thinking is that the Duddington Wyles family is distinct from the cluster of Wyles-Wiles people who live in Kent today – and which can demonstrate a long history living in the Kent area (a history comprising of many centuries). Is my assumption correct?
Whilst traversing the path of Wyles genealogical research, I have gathered a number of interesting – but disconnected - facts, which at the time lacked any coherent (underlying) factor connecting them altogether. Today, however, Diane Wyles (my mother), has gathered information that not only (potentially) joins these facts together, but might also provide a coherent argument for the Kent and Duddington Wyles families being a) historically connected, and b) originating from the same ethnic source. As this is the case, the above map is important as it demonstrates how the “Jutes” first settled in a post-Roman Britain - around the year 575 CE. The Jutes were a Germanic tribe who landed by sea in Southeast Britain – sailing from the Jutland Peninsula (now North Denmark). The Jutes settled parts of what is now Kent, the Isle of Wight, and Hampshire. This information allows me to weave together a new theory. This theory is as follows:
A ‘name” expert from Nottingham University stated that they thought the surname “Wyles” might have originated from the place named “Wile” - located in Hampshire. No more details were forthcoming - and I have not been able to locate this place. I assume the name may have changed and evolved overtime. If correct, then the Jutes may well have migrated to Hampshire from Kent. A surname book published by Oxford University states that the surnames “Wyles-Wiles” is literally linked to the word “wile” (usually used in its plural form of “wiles”) – meaning ‘clever’, ‘devious’, and ‘cunning’, etc. According to this book, a group of people (living in an undisclosed place), mastered the art of “hunting eels” – devising “clever” and “devious” traps to catch these animals.
If the Jutes were the people who mastered the art of eel-capturing in an area of Hampshire that was subsequently renamed “Wile” – then this could be the origin of the surname “Wyles-Wiles” (Another Oxford academic informed me that it is more than likely that the variant of the surname “Wiles” is by far the earlier spelling – and that my family ancestry became associated with the “Wyles” variant at a later date – possibly as the result of an official writing the name this way when recording a birth, Christening, marriage, or death, etc). Perhaps these newly named Hampshire “Wiles” people migrated in two directions – with one branch heading back into Kent (taking the “Wiles” surname with them and establishing the Kent Wyles-Wiles cluster) – whilst another branch headed Northeast to Duddington (a journey of some 134 miles). Between the arrival of the Jutes in Britain in 574 CE and earliest known Wyles appearing in Bourne in 1301 – there is 727-years – ample time for even a relatively sedate or staggered migration to take place. As Bourne is situated further North of Duddington, it could be that far more people named “Wyles” already lived in and around Duddington at the time by 1301 (these people just did not show-up on official records at the time).