Origin of the Audley Surname

The first mention of the Audley surname is in the Domesday Book of 1086, when it was called Aldidelege, when the lands were held by a Saxoncalled Gamel, the son of Osbern the Saxon. At this time, the area was very sparsely populated. There was a medieval castle at Audley Castle Hill during the late 13th century; only a low earthwork remains of the former motte. The descent of the Audley family can be traced back as far as an Englishman named Ligulf of Aldithley, who held the estate not long after the Domesday Survey but whose relationship, if any, to Gamel the Saxon is unknown.

The first ancestor of mine that I have knowledge is:

William I Audley was born circa 1475 in Hitchin, Hertford, England and died 4 July 1541 in Hitchin, Hertford, England. His spouse name was Agnes, maiden name unknown. She was born 1480 in Hitchin, Hertford, England. They were married 1497 in Hirchin, Hertford, England and they had children, one being,

1.       William II Audley b. 1503 Hitchin, Hertford, England.