THE BAILY NAME
There are many ways of spelling this name: Bailey, Bailie,
Baillie, Baily, Baly, Bayly, & Bayley, are all variations.
The Bailey or Bailiff was a man of great importance and was paid
accordingly by his master. Where a shepherd earned 4 shillings
per annum and a ploughman 8 shillings, the Bailey would receive
six pounds. He lived in the Manor House at the Lord's expense
and was responsible for the administration and supervision of
the general agricultural policy.
Then term Bailey, now obsolete in England, is still common in
Scotland where it is used as Chief magistrate or Sheriff. In the
14th Century Dionisy-eri-la-Baillye owned shops and houses at
the Old Bailey.
The name BAILEY may be derived from more than one source. One of these is the old French "Bailli" originally meaning "carrier" but later "administrator". Early records mention Roger Le Baylly who appears in Surfolk Pipe Rolls of 1230.
The MOTTO for BAILEY is "LIBERTY" (LIBERTAS).