SCALES FAMILY LINE

According to John Scales in his History of Dover, N.H., the Scales family dates back to the Norman Conquest. One of William's companions was called Hugh de Scalerius (Scalerius = Climb-over), since his command was of a division of soldiers who scaled a fortresses walls during an attack. After the successful invasion of England, William rewarded Hugh with grants of land and a title. The title passed to each eldest son. When Parliament was first convened in 1299, Baron Robert Scales was summoned as a member. A subsequent Baron Scales commanded a division during one of the Crusades (probably the first). Upon his return, he was granted a coat of arms (one of the first granted by the King of England). Over the years, the surnamed morphed from Scalerius to de Scales and finally to Scales. The noble family of Scales resided at the castle of Middleton, near Lynn, Norfolkshire, England. Name variations include: Scales, Scails, Scals, Skeels, Skales, Sceales and Scaels.