Notes And Queries Regarding The Stay Name

12/01/2002 

Any family member who has additional information, ideas or changes please contact Gary Stay.   Thanks

Recent information indicates that our Stay name was changed from Stoy to Stay in Hordle Parish in the mid 1700s. (see history)
The Key to this name source is the Vaggs Lane Lease dated 1702 of a Richard Stoy the son of Richard Stoy of Arnewood Tithing within the Hordle Parish.  We have traced a Richard Stoy of Brockenhurst just four miles to the north of Arnewood who we have determined is our Richard Stoy the Elder spoken of in the lease.  We have researched the tax subsidy roles and find that the name Richard Stay appears as the leaseholder of the Vaggs Lane property in the mid 1700s.  From that time on, the name in the Hordle Parish is listed as Stay.   Thus we trace the source of our Stay line from that of the Brockenhurst Stay family. Richard Stoy's brother William was also found in the area and his name was listed as William Stay. Thus we feel confident that the source of our family name was Stoy as early as the mid 1600s.

Discrepancy in verbal family history

The story that the name of Stay was a derivative of the French name of Jettque, or Jettay, or Jettie should be discounted.  The story told within the family that the Stays were ran out of their country during the French revolution and that they took the name of stay when they settled in England.  The French revolution took place about 1788 to 1793.  Thus our Stoy family from Brokenhurst would in all likelyhood be the source of our Stay family name. 

Aden Stay told that this story came from a group of Stays that were traveling through Utah when he was a small boy. He is not sure of their name, or who they were, only that they wanted a handout and were on their way through Utah on way to California. 

It would seem likely that the Stoy name could be a derivative of some of the old English names such as Stayley, Stayly, Staylye, Stayers, Stainer, or Stayner (of Blandford) .  All of these names were in use in Hampshire and Dorsetshire during the mid 1500s and early 1600s. 
 
 

Any additional ideas or thoughts would be welcomed.

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