Family Name – Gallienne

My great grandmother Florence Anna Gallienne pushing the pram.

THE NAME GALLIENNE

The name Gallienne is recorded as early as the 1300’s in the  Assize Roll of 1309. The Assize Roll was held every 3 years in Jersey and was conducted by justices from France. The word assize refers to the sittings or sessions  of the judges, known as “justices of assize”. The old french word was ‘assises’.

‘Gallic and Gallienne were old types of ships, galley and galleon ; so the names were probably given to sailors.’  (Some Jersey Surnames: Their origin and their meaning – G.R. Balleinne, Societe Jersiaise Bulletin, 1940)

FROM GUERNSEY TO JERSEY

It took a while, but I have since discovered that the origins of the Gallienne members of my family came across from Guernsey to Jersey at the turn of the century 1900.

MY GALLIENNE ANCESTORS

Alfred Gallienne – b.1841 Torteval, Guernsey. He marries Louise Brehaut (born c.1833) in St. Pierre Du Bois, Guernsey. Their children were:

Alfred Gallienne – born c.1868

Albert Gallienne – born c.1869

Louisa Gallienne – born c. 1870

Albert Gallienne (b.1869) marries Florence Sophia Hamon (born c.1884) of St. Helier, Jersey. Albert must have left Guernsey around 1904 when his first child was born in Jersey. Their children were:

Albert Philip Gallienne – born 1904

Florence Anna Gallienne – born  29th December 1905

Henry Gallienne – born 1910

61 Comments

  1. There were earlier Galliennes in Jersey who married into my family. Connected to the Helleurs and the Pipons – My great great grandfather Thomas Le Rouley married an Ann Jane Gallienne. Her father was Matthieu Gallienne and her mother was Susanne Helleur. Haven’t dates on me at the moment, but know this was Jersey in the early half of the 1800’s. Not sure if there is any link but thought I would share anyway. Best wishes, Anna Baghiani

    Reply

    1. Was informed by genealogy that my ancestors in 1550,Gallienne moved from France to England and changed last name to G a l l I o n.Sailed from England to Baltimore Maryland,changed spelling again to G a l y e a n.From Maryland,they moved to North Carolina,then across Smokey Mountains into TENNESSEE.Name changed again to
      Galyon.I am Eddie Galyon.

      Reply

      1. Hi Eddie,

        Thanks for stopping by My Channel Island Ancestry. The surname Gallienne also comes with a ‘Le’ in front of it as in the English author/poet Richard Le Gallienne. I know very little about Gallienne’s that have emigrated to the USA. But I do know that Gallienne is the Guernsey version of spelling, which originates from France.

        Here is a link that may be of interest to you:

        https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Gallienne

      2. Our ancestor Benjamin Gallion left Roan Mountain for Washington, Kentucky and settled into a farm there outside of Louisville. The last name changed to Gallien then. My grandfather, Mortie, moved into Louisville where my father Louis Bertrand Gallien–named after the Roman Catholic parish St. Louis Bertrand.

      3. Hi Louis,

        Thank you for this interesting information. Do you know where your Gallion ancestors came from before America?

      4. Glad I found this site. My name is Jason Gallienne, son of Jim and grandson of Jack also all in Ontario. We were always told our name came from Guernsey, I have searched and found a Jason Gallienne in Guernsey, and another in Florida, this was an interesting article, thanks. Jason.

  2. HI there

    My mothers family were Galliennes – Edward and Marie. They came over from Guernsey to Jersey and most of their children were born in Guernsey and originaly had French names which they changed to the English version – Henri to Henry. My great aunt Clementine I believe stayed in Guernsey.

    Reply

    1. Hi Tracey,

      Thank you for stopping by My Channel Island Ancestry. I have not come across an Edward or Marie Gallienne in my tree as of yet. But I never know what I may find in the future, so I will keep your family names in mind. I have found my Gallienne’s to be quite a tricky family to research so I know very little about them. Gallienne is definately a common Guernsey surname and many still live in the island today.

      Regards

      Ramona

      Reply

  3. Hi , my name is Manon Toutant , i am a french canadian born in Sept- Iles, Quebec. My grand mother ‘s name is Gallienne. From what i have learned, my ancester came from Jersey island. I may visit the island this summer and try to meet some ” cousins”!

    Regards,

    Manon Toutant

    Reply

    1. Hi my ancestor was Agnes Whall born in india 1869. She then lived in st helier All i know she married man named Gallienne. She later married James E Smith.

      Reply

      1. Hi Derek,

        I do not have an Agnes Gallienne in my tree as far as I know so far. I have had a look for you on Ancestry.com but with no luck. It may be worth trying the Guernsey or Jersey archives. My Google searches only kept coming up with an Agnes and henry Gallienne. Might be worth checking.

        Good luck – I look forward to hearing of any progress,

        Ramona

  4. Hi I am researching my Gallienne roots in Jersey. My G G G Grandfather was a sailor, eventually a captain his name was George Gallienne, he had a brother Phillip. They both immigrated to Australia. George married Amelia Dodge in Sydney Australia.

    Reply

    1. Hello I am Gregory Phillip Gallienne , my grand farther was George Gordon Gallienne and his father was Capt John Phillip Gallienne . He lived in Bairnsdale Victoria Australia. As 1st mate on the steamer Tanjil he saved a life and was presented with medal in 1880. Later on in 1889 as a Captain he and his crew on the paddle steamer Emu made history when for the first time set out to sea at the new Lakes Entrance sea way making three trips to tow ships in from stormy weather.This was done without government instructions but in effect opened the new entrance for shipping.The crowd whilst watching the event cheered every pass and the Emu fired rockets up into moon lit night . My father Adrian Hudson Gallienne had a brother Phillip they lived near Melbourne Aust. Hope this is of help Im keen for any more info you may have found ? P S; Capt J P Gallienne was lost at sea in his schooner off N Z 1904.

      Reply

      1. Hi Gregory,

        Thanks for stopping by my blog. Thank you too for sharing your story with me. I am unaware of a Captain John Philip Gallienne but will certainly keep an eye out for him now that I knowof him. Do you know if your ancestors came from the Channel Islands, and if so which one?

        Ramona

    2. Hi Carmen,

      Thanks for stopping by my blog and sharing your family story with us. Your Philip Gallienne may be related to the Captain John Philip Gallienne mentioned in a comment here from a Greg Gallienne. And you may have answered one of the questions as to where Greg’s ancestors came from! 🙂

      Reply

  5. Captain JEAN PHILLIPE GALLIENNE or John Phillip was the son of Matthew, Matthieu. Both Matthew and most of the family went to Quebec whilst John went to Australia as mentioned above. Matthew was from Torteval, Guernsey and went to Jersey before going to Quebec. Matthew married twice Susanne Helleur was his second wife Fanny Gaudion his first. John Phillip was from Fanny. Anne Jane was from the second marriage as stated above.
    Kind Regards,
    Leonie Freeman.

    Australia.

    Reply

  6. So happy to see that i have “family” in Australia. I live in Quebec city but i grew up on the north shore of province of Qubec where the Gallienne family came for fishing.

    Reply

    1. Hi Kieran,

      Thanks for stopping by my family history blog. Do you know if your Gallienne ancestors were from Guernsey, Jersey or France?

      Reply

  8. Hello my family name is Gallienne formerly Le Gallienne my dads name was Bill Gallienne now deceased and we are related to EVa Le Gallienne the famous Broadway actress and Richard Le Gallienne who was an author I was lead to believe we originated from France and would love to have my family tree

    Reply

    1. Hi Jane,

      Thanks for stopping by my family history blog. As far as i know I have not found any connections with the Le Gallienne’s. I am not too sure how long mine were in Guernsey before they came from France. Gallienne is also very much a Guernsey name and that is the only place I have found mine to date.

      Reply

      1. Hi Fern sorry for the late reply but no I’m afraid I’ve not really foraged very far into my family tree bit I have a book written by Richard le gallienne and many photos and fabulous stories about my famous and fabulous great aunt Eva Le Gallienne who lived and worked in America and was a great influence on the setting up of Broadway!

  9. HI,My relative is Ester Gallienne/Pryor and she married Nicholas William Moullin. Her father was Thomas Gallienne and her mother was Marie Le Page and they married on the 29/6/1745. Esters daughter Susan married George White and they moved to Australia with their family in 1841 on the William Turner ship.
    Sandra Dash

    Reply

    1. Hi Sandra,

      Thank you for visiting My Channel Island Ancestry blog. I have checked my tree and at the moment do not have an Ester Gallienne. I do have a Thomas W. Gallienne born 1837 but that is all the details I have on him. Do you know the birth date of your Thomas? Do you know where in Australia they moved to as I am currently in Australia and maybe able to do some research.

      Ramona

      Reply

      1. Hi Ramona,
        Sorry for the very late reply. I forgot I had placed a question on this site. I dont have any details on Thomas Galliene and I dont believe they came to Australia, it was just his grand daughter Susan and her husband George that came to Australia.
        Regards,
        Sandra DAsh

  10. Hello Ramona. What a fascinating blog, esp as my grandmother was a Gallienne, Alberta, born in Shadwel, East London in 1875. A relative has done some research, showing her father to be Albert H Gallienne 1851-1922, mother Sarah Carrier 1854–, and her grandfather Francois Gallienne 1815-1855. Apparently she had an uncle Pierre, born 1845. Do any of these names appear in your tree?

    Reply

    1. Hi Anthony,

      Sorry to take so long to reply.
      My Gallienne family has been very hard to trace. They come from Guernsey mainly. I currently do not have an Albert H Gallienne, nor Alberta, nor Sarah Carrier nor Francois Gallienne. But I will keep a note of their names should I ever find a connection. Although on the Ancestry records I see that Sarah’s surname comes up as Farrier, this may be a transcript mistake?

      If you find a connection to Guernsey then we may be on the same tree. Keep me posted if you find anything!

      And thanks for stopping by my blog.

      Ramona

      Reply

      1. Hello again Ramona

        Thanks for your reply – and what is a few weeks when one is talking centuries with these searches!

        You were right about the transcription error – it was mine. So my Grandmother’s mother was a Farrier by birth (not Carrier). Her father Albert Gallienne was a seaman, and given the proximity of Guernsey and France, and the fact that his father was Francois and uncle Pierre, i wonder how much movement of people/families there was between the coast pf BRITTANY and the island. Do you know anything of the history of the Galliennes in Guernsey, or of migration between the island and France? I must do some background reading I think!

        All the best with your blog – it’s been inspiring! Anthony

  12. Hi Ramona, greetings from Australia.. I’m also related to the Gallienne’s from Guernsey. My Galleinnes established themselves in a place called Wannyarra in Victoria. The patriarch of my branch of the family was Nicholas Gallienne, born on the 2 July 1797 in St Peter Port. He is my 4th Great Grandfather.. His parents were Nicholas Gallienne and Margaurite Brehaut. He was one of the people involved in the start of the gold rush in Victoria.. If you do a google search for Wannyarra you will find quite a bit of information regarding the family as well as some photos and other bits and pieces. My third Great Grandfather married into the Gallienne family. He married Louisa Gallienne, born 22 Sept 1837 in St Andrews Guernsey… Further back into the history of Guernsey it is rumoured that one of the Gallienne’s was involved in executing witches some time between 1562 and 1661.. That was a pretty grim discovery. Have a great day.. If you’d like to connect, please feel free to do so. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hi Robert,
      Sorry for the late reply. I’m in lockdown in Sydney so it is perfect for catching up on family history stuff! My Galliennes intermingled with Brehauts quite often over the past century or two so it gets very confusing to trace. The only Louisa Gallienne I have was born in 1871. I have a Marguerite Brehat 1797-1845 born St. Peters woods. Could this be your Marguerite? I have no other info on her so this would make sense if she left the island.
      Thanks for stopping by my family history blog and I look forward to hearing more from you!
      Ramona

      Reply

  13. Hi, I have been trying to find the family of a Simon Gallienne and some time ago I found five mobile numbers for Galleinne, but only just tried to call them and got unobtainable on them all and can’t find any in the Jersey DQ now. He worked for my father in the ’40s or ’50s and I’m trying to find out about him. Thanks, CC

    Reply

  14. I posted a few days ago, but it may not have uploaded. I am trying to trace the family of Lieutenant-Colonel Reginald Simon Gallienne, known as Simon Gallienne. Some time back I found a number of mobile numbers for Gallienne in Guernsey, but none of them seem to be working and I have a feeling that he may have been from Jersey. In the ’40s and ’50s he worked for my father and I’m trying to find out more about him. Thanks, CC

    Reply

    1. Hi again Colin,

      Here are a couple of links where I have searched and found a Lieutenant Gallienne being mentioned. You may have this info already. Otherwise check out Donkipedia which has a wealth of information that might be useful to you:

      Click to access data.pdf

      https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Donkipedia
      https://books.google.com.au/books?id=IFLpJ1byJisC&pg=PT541&lpg=PT541&dq=Lieutenant-Colonel+Reginald+Simon+Gallienne&source=bl&ots=jXmWYfkc-S&sig=ACfU3U3n1825JTL4qz5uKUtTZHFvjVSxvg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjj1sWj6r_uAhVozDgGHZEDCtkQ6AEwBHoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=Lieutenant-Colonel%20Reginald%20Simon%20Gallienne&f=false

      Ramona

      Reply

  15. Thanks very much for your replies Ramona. The London Gazette I had, but oddly from a week earlier. If you wondered what was meant by ‘Employed by a department of the Foreign Office’ was, and may still be, it’s the euphemism used in the honours list and obits for MI6 officers, but of all its officers in the period that interests me he is one of the most invisible!
    The MI6 official history reference I had too [I had some small input to the book], but I found nothing on Donkipedia, except how old the name is and I don’t actually know if he was from Guernsey or Jersey.
    My father nearly came to a sticky end as he was landed on one of the islands the day they surrendered [no one in London knew!], but luckily the RN were able to get him off before the Germans found him, along with a crate of tomatoes …

    Reply

    1. Such an interesting history and heritage Mr Cohen. Reginald Simon Gallienne does not appear to come up in any Jersey Archive search so it is a possibility he was from Guernsey which is where the Gallienne name originates from. You will need to contact the Guernsey Priaulx Library as they have not yet made their records digital.

      Ramona

      Reply

      1. Thanks again Ramona. You mentioned the Guernsey Family Tree Facebook page and they have been helpful. It seems certain he was from there, it also seems likely that the island my father was put ashore on in 1940 [the day they surrendered, but London did not know] was also Guernsey. Sady it has not led me to any surviving family who might have papers relating to him. I shall try the Guernsey Priaulx Library, but I think it’s brick wall time!
        Thanks again, CC

    2. I have just read your request for any information concerning Reginald Simon Gallienne OBE and am able to tell you that he was a first cousin of my father and we knew him well during the latter years of his life and I would also be very interested in the story of his connection with your relative….

      Reply

  16. Is the name Galliehan a form of this? My great- great- great grandmother was Anne Galliehan who married George Frederic de Broder and have not been able to find anything prior to this. Their son was married in St. Saviour’s Church on island of Guernsey. Do you have any historical information on this? I came to a dead end on both Anne and George.

    Reply

    1. Hi Kelly,

      I’ve not seen this spelling before. It almost looks like a spelling mistake for Gallichan which has happened in the past in records and documents. But searching Google I can see the name does exist and there are some links you could check out, the Guernsey Family History page might be a good place to start:
      https://www.facebook.com/groups/342964939105361

      I hope you discover something that helps you out the dead end.

      kind regards,

      Ramona

      Reply

  17. Good morning. I have traced many of my relatives back to Sir William Gayh (gey) in 1327 in Devon. However back in my youth I was told there was a Hugenotconnection through St Petersport Guernsey.
    The name of the family changed to Gay and some variations late 1300s 1400s had Le in front of name. Just wondering if you can help at all ?

    Reply

    1. I thought I’d replied to this nearly a year ago, but perhaps not … I don’t know how to give you my email without it being public, but you can message me via the contact page of my elderly website below. Thanks, CC

      Reply

  19. I am able to give you further information regarding the whereabouts of Simon during the period immediately following the second World War …….

    Reply

  20. I wonder if you have anything on Thomas Gallienne who purchased 3 fields at Grand Mielles, Grandes Rocques, Catel, Guernsey in 1769 from Elizee Le Marchant? Thomas was a godfather to Marie Le Page, one of my Le Page ancestors. It was a memorable spot. Embroiled for decades over access rights for drying seaweed, It became the focal point for Marie’s brother, Thomas, who witnessed in 1794 Admiral de Saumarez out running the French fleet inshore from the notorious ship- wrecking Les Grunes – about 2 miles NW of this spot. The account is Guernsey folk lore. Perhaps Thomas Gallienne is part of my Le Page Catel mob.

    Reply

    1. Hi Alan,

      I have very little information on my Gallienne ancestors as the family stopped communication with each other over a tragedy in the 1930’s. My Thomas Gallienne was born 1837 but that is all I know about him at the moment. Your best bet is to either join the Guernsey Family Tree pages on Facebook or contact the archives in Guernsey. Copy and paste the following links to get to these pages:

      Guernsey Family History – https://www.facebook.com/groups/342964939105361

      Guernsey Family Tree – https://www.facebook.com/groups/502296339787736

      Thank you for stopping by and I hope you find what you are looking for.

      Reply

      1. Thanks Ramona

        I’ll think on it.

        Are you aware that one Henry Gallien [note spelling] [ex Guernsey] [and brothers] bedded down with my g g g uncle [Peter Le Page [ex Guernsey] in NY in the 1840’s as a young lad and went onto become Deputy Comptroller of NY? from early 1850’s [and became Peter’s executor late 1870’s]. Peter had aspirations that Henry would follow in his mason footsteps. Alas ? not to be! One Mrs Gallien in NY wrote the Australian surviving beneficiaries in 1894. I have the detailed documents. Also, I recommend TROVE our on-line lookup of our colonial newspapers etc. It yields many references to your? family members settling down here. Best wishes.

  21. Hi Alan,

    I am not aware of this story but thank you for sharing. TROVE is a magnificent resource and hopefully it doesn’t get shut down. I hadn’t checked TROVE for my Gallienne ancestors as I was unaware they moved to Oz which is where I now live. 🙂

    Reply

  22. Hello Ramona. I am Richard Edward Gallienne, son of Ronald Edward Gallienne who is son of Leslie Edward Gallienne who is son of John Phillip Gallienne from Gippsland, Victoria. Bit of a mouthful. Good to read the family history here. I will keep uptodate. Kind regards to all who read this. Richard

    Reply

    1. Hi Richard,

      Thanks for popping by my family history blog. I’m glad you found it useful. Not sure I can see where you fit in my tree yet but you never know, one day a clue may pop up!

      Regards,
      Ramona

      Reply

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