Paisley

This name originates from the lands and barony of Paisley and the great abbey which bore its name. Early records of the name appear in charters witnessed by William Passelew during the reign of William the Lion between 1179–90. William de Passelet witnessed a charter by Alan, son of Walter the Steward, to the abbey around 1150. Dominus John de Passelet, Canon of Glasgow Cathedral, witnessed a gift of part of the lands of Little Govan in 1320. William Passeley, described as a ‘merchant of Scotland’, obtained an order in 1389 to have goods of his which were being held, released. The name appears in various spellings, and in Dumfriesshire the family of Pasleys of Craig near Langholm came to prominence when Admiral Thomas Pasley distinguished himself in 1794, taking part in the defeat of the French, on what was known as ‘the Glorious First of June’. General Sir Charles Pasley was a distinguished military engineer who was with Sir John Moore at the defeat of the French at Corunna in 1809. He established the Royal School of Military Engineering at Chatham, and was created a Knight Commander of the Bath. He is best remembered for his work on pontoon bridges, contained in his thesis, Military Instruction. The degree of Doctor of Civil Laws was con-ferred on him at Oxford in 1844. His son was Agent General of the state of Victoria in Australia between 1880 and 1882, and was responsible for the building of the Houses of Parliament and other public buildings in the state. The Pasley Baronets of Craig are still represented today. A tartan was designed in 1952 and a family society established in 1988, headed by Paisley of Westerlea. The society aims to link Paisleys throughout the world with their homeland in the west of Scotland.