INTRODUCTION TO MY OYLER ANCESTORS
THE OYLERS OF KENT 1500-1700S
SAMUEL OYLER OF HAWKHURST & FAMILY
THOMAS PETTIT OYLER & ELIZABETH POTTER
POTTER SAMUEL OYLER & MARY ANN HALES
THOMAS POTTER OYLER
SITE MAP
The Oyler family is
one branch of my family tree.
Other branches can be viewed by clicking on HOME or any of the buttons
above.
The Ilers in Kent were rumoured to be Huguenots but it is not known if they were French, Dutch or Belgian. Indeed, there is no firm evidence that they were originally Huguenots. There were several influxes of Huguenots to England. In 1270, King Henry III extended a royal invitation to "all workers of woollen cloth" to come and settle in England, and in 1331 the export of unwashed wool was prohibited by King Edward III and he issued letters of protection to Flemish weavers who wished to settle in England. The Flemings planted their “fulling-mills” along the rivers Cray and Dart, the weavers settling principally at Cranbrook, Goudhurst, and the neighboring villages. “At county meetings the Gray-coats of Kent carried all before them, gray cloth being the prevailing color of the Kentish article, as that of Kendal was green.” The Huguenots: Their Settlements, Churches, and Industries in England…. - Samuel Smiles
The first Oyler in my family that I can trace (with verification) is John Iler. He was born about 1555-1560 in Cranbrook, Kent. He was my great x10 grandfather.
As most people, except clergy and scholars, were illiterate the names were recorded by the clergyman as they sounded. Several variations of the name Oyler can be found in the records over the next two centuries including Oiller, Oiler, Oyller, Oylar, Oylare, Oller, Olliar, Olyer, Oliure, Olyr, Ollow, Owler, Owter, Ayler, Ailor, Aylor, Eiler, Eyler Iler and Yeler.
Below are abstracts from the Tyler Index to Parish Registers 1538-1874 (1), as well as abstracts from other sources. The Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874 (1) described as "Extractions of baptism, marriage, and burial information from parish registers in East Kent, England". The information was compiled by Frank Watt Tyler who recorded genealogical data about families in the East Kent area. "....he put together 3,240 books from parish registers for baptisms, marriages, and burials. Some books also contain a family tree or a family history." The last entries were in the early 1900s when the Inexes were published.
Occurences of the Oyer/Iler name in Kent (and variant spellings) in the 17th century:
Besides the Ilers in Cranbrook there were Ilers in Roveldon, Hawkhurst and Smarden which were small villages around Cranbrook. There were also Ilers and Aylers in Molash (E.S.E of Canterbury), Elmsted (south of Canterbury), and Deal (on the east coast)
In the Tyler Index there are several entries for Ilers (listed under the heading 'Oyler') e..g :
1617 Thomas Iler married Marie Dunkin in Elmsted
1626 Margaret Iler married Thomas Drainer in Smarden
1628 Mary Iler married Richard Fisher in Smarden
- There was an Iler family in Molash in the late 1500. Father: John Iler. Children baptized: John 1588, Elizabeth 1590
- In the Cantebury Probate records for Molash there is an entry for an Ursula Oyler in 1613 (INV - possibly an abbreviation for Inventory). Her husband was William Oyler (he died in 1599) (2). They were married in Molash in 1560. Her maiden name was Kenwarde.
- A John Oyler of Molash, son of John died in 1589
- Also in the Cantebury Probate records there is a record for a William Iler of Molash, Kent (INV) in 1638.
- 1630 William Oyler married Parnell Fabrace in Molash (3)
- Also in the West Kent Quarter Session records (16th C - 18th C)(4) On 10th Oct 1610 "Thomas Oyler of Molash, labourer, £10, to appear and answer; surety, John Oyler. Taken before a group of five justices."
1680 John Ollow (a poor man) burial
1681 Elizabeth Ollo married Edward Relfe
1682 Mary Ollo married Daniel Philpot
1686 Susannah Oylare, daughter of George, burial
1688 Anne Ollow, baptised
1696 Thomas Oyler, burial
1698 Elizabeth Eiler, burial
Rovelden, Kent
From 1693-1700 baptisms of Susanna, Sarah, Peter and Thomas Iler all children of Peter and Sarah Iler
The Ayler name (and variants) in Deal, Kent (1)
There is the baptism of a daughter in 1573 to a John Iler in Sholden (a small village adjacent to the seaside town of Deal). It is under an Oyler header but also offers the name variants of Fyler or Tyler.
The names found in the Deal records under an Oyler page header. The earliest is Henrie Ayler in 1583 followed in brackets by "(Anthe), a burial."
1615, baptism of John Ailor, son of Henry
1619, baptism of Henry (Jun) Aylor, son of Henry
1620 Katherine Owler, wife of John, burial.
1620 John Owter (Owler), burial.
1620 Anne Owter (Owler), burial
1622 William Owter, son of William, baptism
1622 Richard Aylor, son of Henry (the younger) baptism
1623 Anthonie Aylor married Rose Joanes
1624 Mary Aylor married Joh Hicks
1625 Margaret Aylor married Walter Dunning
1628 Margaret Aylor, wife of Henry (Jun) buried
1632 Elizabeth Aylor, daughter of Henry (Jun) baptised
1635 Mary Aylor, daughter of Henry (the elder) baptised.
1639 Henrie (Jun) Aylor, mariner, buried
1663 Elizabeth Ayler, widow, buried
1675 Richard Ayler, pilot, buried
Molash, Elmsted, Deal, are closer to Cantebury but not close to each other
(1) Ancestry.co.uk. Tyler Index to Parish Registers 1538-1874
(2) https://wills.kentarchives.org.uk/
(3) www.findmypast.co.uk
(4) kentarchives.org.uk/collections
(5) https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list/?page=1®ion=UNITED_KINGDOM_IRELAND