His Excellency Douglas Buchanan Bailey being bestowed with hereditary knighthood.

 

 

The Bailey family itself is very old. The first mention of a signet or device used by the family was a lion passet (on 3 legs with one paw up) in the 1500's. That device was used until the 1600s.

In the late 1600s, Joel Bailey with William Penn founded Pennsylvania. Joel Bailey is still listed as an original founding member. He was granted 400 acres and was appointed Constable of Middletown on January 9th, 1697. Part of his duty was to always be at monthly town meetings.

His son was to marry Elizabeth Harry, daughter of Hugh Harry and Brinton. This joining of families was truly favorable as the Harry family were the high sheriffs of Montgomeryshire Wales and brought with them lines of a who's who of major noble lines and Kings of Europe. This family married twice into the Bailey family line. During this time the use of the lion Passet just stopped and no family device was used.

Until recently the Bailey family was organized loosely as a large family group. The family mostly did not understand their historical rights that they may still be able to assert. Upon the death of the father of the current armorial head, Douglas Bailey had a family gathering including second and third cousins and he also contacted the family genealogist, Lowell Bailey. At this time, and with the help of Lowell Bailey, the current head of the family had contacted the Bureau of Heraldry and was in the final stages of the legal process for receiving the Grant of Arms, as well as updating it, which is the right of every generation if they so wish. This update was past due considering the bloodlines within the family.

The version of the Grant of Arms that exists today is due to the multitude of royal lines that are within the family tree. The rematriculated arms that are seen today, as passed by act of the Bureau of Heraldry, are granted to the Current Armorial head; Douglas. B .Bailey, 13th generation of the House of Bailey, founder of the Bailey's Academy.

If you would like more information about Douglas Bailey's school, please see www.baileysacademy.com.