The Origin of the Hollier Family name

Tim Hollier’s family line originates from Fordingbridge in Hampshire, on the edge of the New Forest. So far I have only reliably traced his line back to William Hollyer who was born around 1751 and married in Fordingbridge in 1776. There is no baptism for William recorded in Fordingbridge, although one possibility is that he from the family of John Hollier and Rebecca (née Springer) who married at Fordingbridge in 1748 and were both shown as being from the adjacent parish of Ibsley. Two of their young children were buried at Fordingbridge in 1752 and 1758, when John was shown as living at Stuckton, just south of the town.

What is certain is that there are Holliers present in Fordingbridge parish from the time of the earliest surviving parish registers (1642). Significantly, other parishes to the south of the New Forest have earlier surviving registers from the 16th century and there are plenty of Holliers there too. In particular, the parishes of Boldre, Milford and Brockenhurst have many early references, as does Freshwater, just across the Solent on the Isle of Wight. Other parishes may have Holliers too, in particular those not recorded in the International Genealogical Index. However, despite all the places where Holliers appeared to live, it is only the Fordingbridge family that has Hollier descendants down to the 19th century and the present day. The map here shows the location of these parishes in the New Forest area of Hampshire. (Click map to enlarge)