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Peter Killey, Isle of Man...

Surname "Killey" Pronounced kil-yah

KILLEY, originally Mac Gilla Ceallaigh, anglicised in Ireland into Mac Killey Kelly and Killy Kelly.  The MAC & the KELLY have been dropped, leaving KILLEY, which is identical in meaning with Gale, Gell and Gill. (Gaelic, guilley: Irish Giolla, 'a servant') Indeed, in the Isle of Man, formerly, the same person was called Gale, Gell, Gill and Killey indifferently.

Quilliam also adds and interesting snippet from his book:

The saying "Having a Killey's thirst" records a man with a prodigious liquid capacity!

In some place names Killey means "of the church", i.e. Ballakilley meaning the farm of the church.

Click the speaker icon to listen to Dr. Brian Stowell's short audio clip, which briefly explains the surname Killey and how it came about. (103KB).

Charles Gell (d. circa 1870)

Generally known as Chalse-y-Killey, wandered over the island " going on the houses." But, though he begged, he performed many useful offices for his numerous friends and acquaintances, and for this and his power of quaint and humorous anecdote he was welcomed everywhere. He was supposed to be, and no doubt was, in some respects, rather silly but he nevertheless possessed considerable shrewdness. Truly devout, and to this he appears to have owed his nickname, which signifies "Charles of the Church," he was a fanatic where Roman Catholics were concerned. On one occasion, when asked where he had been, he remarked that he had been at the Union Mills with " Pazon Drury putting the Romans out."  Another subject which greatly excited him was the people being deprived of their grazing on the "commons." At a meeting at Sulby, with regard to: it, he said: " We muss put down this Popery, we muss hev a big grave made, and we'll hev the Pope in first, and then we'll hev Thomas Arthur.  A little later, when Governor Loch, with a possé of police and special constables, perambulated the southern commons to clear them of sheep belonging to the evicted commoners - the battle of Cronk-ny-irree-lhaa as this perambulation was called - Chalse made his appearance early in the day, and walked along  with measured tread and solemn look, carrying aloft a flag extemporised out of a pocket handkerchief. He said very little except that the 'great 'Captain' would in his own good time regulate all things and deal out equal justice to all. (Chalse, it should also be remembered, was a temperance orator In this, as in other respects he has been immortalised by the Rev. T. E. Brown, in the charming poem - To Chalse in Heaven.

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