William Yardley

Who was William Yardley?

William Yardley was an early settler of Bucks County, Pennsylvania and is the namesake of the borough of Yardley, Pennsylvania. As a persecuted Quaker minister, Yardley and his wife, Jane moved from Ransclough, England near Leeke in the County of Stafford to Bucks County when Yardley was 50. The family arrived on September 28, 1682, on the ship Friend's Adventure with their children, Thomas, Enoch, and William, and a servant. Yardley subsequently purchased 500 acres of land in Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County from William Penn, who had received the land from Charles II of England to settle a debt owed Penn's father. Yardley named his tract "Prospect Farm". He served as a Justice of the Peace for Bucks County and became a member of the Provincial Council.

After Yardley died in a smallpox epidemic in 1693, his nephew, Thomas Yardley, arrived from England in 1694 to manage the holdings. Through marriage, nephew Thomas added land to Yardley's former holdings and had ten children. As a result, William Yardley became the ancestor of all that bear the Yardley name in Bucks County and many in other parts of the United States.