Le Gallais
Alice Le Gallais, c1872
Direct links to lists of baptisms, marriages and burials for the Le Gallais family can be found under Family Records opposite. If you want to search for records for a spelling variant of Le Gallais, or for any other family name, just click below on the first letter of the
family name you are interested in. This will open a new tab in your browser giving you a list of family names beginning with that letter,
for which there are baptism records in our database of half a million church and public registry records.
You can also select marriages or burials. Select the name you want
and when the list of records is displayed you can easily refine the search, choosing a single parish, given name(s) and/or start and end dates.
The records are displayed 30 to a page, but by selecting the yellow Wiki Table option at the top left of the page you can open a full, scrollable list. This list will either be displayed in a new tab or a pop-up window. You may have to edit the settings of your browser to allow pop-up windows for www.jerripediabmd.net. For the small number of family names for which a search generates more than 1,500 records you will have to refine your search (perhaps using start or end dates) to reduce the number of records found.
New records
From August 2020 we have started adding records from non-Anglican churches, and this process will continue as more records, held by Jersey Archive, are digitised and indexed. Our database now includes buttons enabling a search within registers of Roman Catholic, Methodist and other non-conformist churches. These records will automatically appear within the results of any search made from this page.
A--B--C--D--E--F--G--H--I--J--K--L--M--N--O--P--Q--R--S--T--U--V--W--X--Y--Z
If you can help with information about the Le Gallais family, please contact editorial@jerripedia.org, using Jerripedia as the subject of your email. We are particularly interested in information which will help create further family trees, family histories and photographs
Origin of Surname
The origins of this very common Jersey surname of long standing are strongly disputed. Jersey sources generally support the view that it means 'the Welshman' (Pays de Galles is the French for Wales), but sources in France, where the name is found in many areas, particularly in Brittany and Normandy, offer a variety of other derivations.
The most widely held belief, particularly in Brittany, is that the name is a corruption of gaullois, 'Gaul' being the historic name for France, and that it was used to distinguish French speakers from Breton speakers in the far west of the country.
But there are other suggested derivations. Noms de familles de Normandie says that in Normandy, where Gallais is fairly common to this day, it comes from a Medieval personal name 'Galeis'.
Otherwise the French authority Dauzat supports the view that it refers to a welshman, Deshayes' Dictionnaire des noms de famille bretons believes it to be derived from 'Galès', a name given to a tall man. Another authority, Morlet, traces the origins to galois, meaning, in ancient French, a bon vivant (he who enjoyed the good things in life).
Then there is the question of which names are true variants of Le Gallais. In Jersey one of the most common early spellings of what was undoubtedly the same family was Le Gallez, and Galet has been viewed as a variant. However, Noms de familles de Normandie treats 'Gallet' and 'Galet' as entirely separate, with a meaning derived from old words for a stranger. However, other French sources lump 'Gallet', 'Galet' and 'Gallez' into the same set of variants.
The name is found as Gallais rather than Le Gallais in Normandy, but in Brittany the names 'Le Gall' and 'Le Gal' are common and they are said to refer to a French speaker among the Bretons
Charles Stevens' Comprehensive list of Jersey surnames, apart from supporting the Welsh theory, separates 'Le Gal', 'Le Gall' and 'Le Galle' from other variants.
Given the absence of any evidence that there was immigration, direct or indirect, from Wales to Jersey as early as the 15th century, we think the name is far more likely to have Gaul as its source.
All that seems certain is that the similar sounding Gallie is definitely a different family with a different derivation.
Early records
It will be seen from the list of variants below that the spelling in use in Jersey today - 'Le Gallais' - can only be traced back to the early 17th century, but other variants go back much further, 'de Galeis' being found in a 1226 record.
The family appears in the Assize Roll of 1309. Charles Le Gallais is listed in the Jersey Chantry Certificate of 1550.
From the late 15th century, substantial landowners of this family, held the Fiefs Payn en Herupe and Surville, and land elsewhere, mostly in the town and parish of St Helier. Surprisingly for a well-connected family, few of its members held public office before the mid-19th century. Those that did were Edmond Le Gallais and Philippe Le Gallais, who were both Constable of St Helier, the first in 1524, and the second 1703-1707. In the 19th century, another Philippe Le Gallais was a Jurat of the Royal Court, 1843-1868.
Although this is primarily a St Helier family, particularly prominent in the 19th century, it was, from 1848, also found in St Brelade, where Jurat Philippe Le Gallais owned La Moye House. The majority of Le Gallais entries in church registers are to be found from 1597 onwards in the baptism records of St Helier (403 of 575 total baptisms).
Variants
- Gallais, found in Normandy
- Le Gallais, 1607
- Le Gallez, 1490
- Le Gallet, possibly separate
- Le Galet, possibly separate
- Le Galays
- Galles 1515
- Le Galles l479
- Galays
- Galeys 1255
- de Galeis 1226
- Gallie (probably not a variant - see family page for derivation
Payne's Armorial of Jersey
This family, which is supposed to have migrated hither from Brittany, has been naturalized in the island from a very remote period. It is divided into several branches, which, although the connection between them is not precisely ascertained, are universally allowed to derive from one common source.
One of these is represented by Matthew Le Gallais, Seigneur of Surville. Another, now settled at La Moye, in the parish of St Brelade, formerly possessed an estate at Rouge Bouillon, in the parish of St Helier; an estate which, as stated by the two Extentes, or Royal Rent Rolls of the 17th century, owed to the Crown the somewhat fanciful dues of two cabots of wheat rent, two capons, two hens, and fourteen eggs. This branch is represented by Philip Le Gallais, Jurat of the Royal Court, and Stipendiary Magistrate of the Police Court.
A third is represented by Mr John Le Gallais, son of Nicholas Le Gallais, who, through his mother, Elizabeth, daughter and eventual heiress of Thomas de Gruchy, of Trinity, represents also a branch of that family.
Arms
As borne by Matthew Le Gallais: Gules, a crescent, between six roses, or, three in chief and three in base.
Quartering : Argent, three trefoils, sable, for Payn
Gules, four fusils, conjoined, in fesso, argent ; a crescent, in base, for difference, for De Carteret
Per fesse, argent and or; in chief, a dexter hand, clenched, ppr, cuffed of the second; in base, a mullet of the first, for Poingdestre
Impaling : Azure, three crescents, or, for Nicolle.
Crest : A cock, statant, ppr., the dexter foot uplifted.
Motto : Jamais chancelant.
As borne by Philip Le Gallais: Same Arms, Crest, and Motto. Impaling or, on a chief, embattled, sable, three mullets, argent, a crescent for difference, for Amy.
As borne by John Le Gallais: Same Arms and Crest. Quartering: Or, fretty azure, for De Gruchy. Motto : Semper Fidelis
Family records
Family trees
- Symon Le Gallais: 15th-17th centuries
- Edmond Le Gallais: 17th-20th centuries
- Edmond Le Gallais 2: 16th-18th centuries
- Michel Le Gallais: 15th-20th centuries
- Jean Le Gallais: 17th-18th centuries
- Jean Le Gallais 2: 18th-20th centuries
- Richard Le Gallais: 18th-21st centuries
- Richard Le Gallais 2: 17th-20th centuries
- Francois Le Gallais: 17th-18th centuries
- Jean Le Gallais 3: 18th-20th centuries
Church records
- Le Gallais baptisms in Jersey
- Le Gallais marriages in Jersey (groom)
- Le Gallais marriages in Jersey (bride)
- Le Gallais burials in Jersey
Le Gallais biographies and other family matters
- Philip Walter Jules Le Gallais, cavalry leader
- Carlyle Le Gallais, politician and businessman
- Albert George Le Gallais, a prisoner of war in World War One and winner of the Military Cross
- Postcards sent to a collector in Luxembourg by a Le Gallais family in 1901
Newspaper records
- Philip Le Gallais appointed to reservoir planning committee in 1848
- Charles Le Gallais appointed St Helier Roads Inspector in 1848
Great War service
- Le Gallais family members who served in World War 1
- NZ Le Gallais siblings in Great War: The story of nurse Lottie Le Gallais and her brothers
Family wills
Family homes
- Fernhill, St Helier
- Broadlands, Grouville
- La Ferriere, St Saviour
- La Moye, St Brelade
- Surville, St Helier
-
In 1788 in Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey, Aaron de Veulle, guardian of the children of the late Jean Le Gallais, announced that a four-vergee garden orchard near Mont Millais would be sold -
Matthieu Le Gallais advertised that part of his house and land at Mont a l'Abbe was available for rent in Gazette de l'Ile de Jersey in 1798
Burial records
Family businesses
-
-
Builders working on an extension to the Bath Street store -
-
1858 -
Silversmith John Le Gallais' mark -
1901 Evening Post advert -
1873 -
1873 -
1930 advert in Chronique de Jersey -
Cabinet maker and upholsterer Richard Le Gallais opened up in business in Broad Street in 1825
Family album
-
Police Court judge Philip Le Gallais -
-
Reginald Walter Le Gallais -
Philip Le Gallais, born in St Helier in 1789, the son of Jean and Jeanne, with his wife Marie Marguerite Amy. The family moved backwards and forwards between Jersey and Quebec -
-
-
1902 cigarette card depicting Col M H F Le Gallais, Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General of the 'Channel Islands Militia, attached to the Royal Jersey Contingent' -
-
John Le Gallais at Roselands St Saviour -
John Le Gallais -
Nicolas Frederick Le Gallais (1867-1937), son of Nicolas and Anne Esther, nee Ferey -
Alice Mary Lucas Le Gallais with her daughter and grandchild -
Catherine Francoise Gallais -
Dorothy Le Gallais, nee Larbalestier -
The wedding of John and Lorna Le Gallais. John lost part of his left arm to a war injury -
John Le Gallais, silversmith (1813-1872)
.jpg)
.png)
Family gravestones
Click on any image to see a larger version. See the Jerripedia gravestone image collection page for more information about our gravestone photographs
-
Trinity Church cemetery -
Trinity Church cemetery -
Old Mont a l’Abbe cemetery -
Mont a l’Abbe cemetery -
Mont a l’Abbe cemetery -
Mont a l’Abbe cemetery -
St John’s Church cemetery -
St Peter parish cemetery -
St Brelade Church cemetery -
St Brelade Church cemetery -
St Brelade Church cemetery -
St Brelade Church cemetery -
St Saviour -
Reginald Walter Le Gallais, St Saviour
Tips
The church record links above will open in a new tab in your browser and generate the most up-to-date list of each set of records from our database. These lists replace earlier Family page baptism lists, which were not regularly updated. They have the added advantage that they produce a chronological listing for the family name in all parishes, so you do not have to search through A-Z indexes, parish by parish.
We have included some important spelling variants on some family pages, but it may be worth searching for records for a different spelling variant. Think of searching for variants with or without a prefix, such as Le or De. To search for further variants, or for any other family name, just click on the appropriate link below for the first letter of the family name, and a new tab will open, giving you the option to choose baptism, marriage or burial records. You will then see a list of available names for that type of record and you can select any name from that list. That will display all records of the chosen type for that family name, and you can narrow the search by adding a given name, selecting a parish or setting start and end dates in the form you will see above. You can also change the family name, or search for a partial name if you are not certain of the spelling
The records are displayed 30 to a page, but by selecting the yellow Wiki Table option at the top left of the page you can open a full, scrollable list. This list will either be displayed in a new tab or a pop-up window. You may have to edit the settings of your browser to allow pop-up windows for www.jerripediabmd.net. For the small number of family names for which a search generates more than 1,500 records you will have to refine your search (perhaps using start or end dates) to reduce the number of records found.
New records
Since August 2020 we have added several thousand new records from the registers of Roman Catholic, Methodist and other non-conformist churches. These will appear in date order within a general search of the records and are also individually searchable within the database search form
A--B--C--D--E--F--G--H--I--J--K--L--M--N--O--P--Q--R--S--T--U--V--W--X--Y--Z
