This was taken from the book by Lela Livingston, " The Pyle Family,1594-1954" (a foreword by Homer Pyle) Pyle is a surname found in the southern counties of England. The name 'Pyle' and also 'Pile' is found in Devonshire, in Exeter and its neighborhood. Archeologists agree that the oldest thing erected by man is Wilts County, England, is Stonehenge. It is the most famous Megalithic monument in England. Stonehenge was a sort of immense calender frequented by sun-worshipers from the Mediterranean --backward Egyptian-type men. It is claimed that a pack of Mediterranean sun-worshipers ended up in Wiltshire, England. It is also claimed, and with reasonable proof, that the Channel used to be part of the European Continent, and the Thames was a tributary of the Rhine. About A.D. 500 Wiltshire was invaded by the Saxons, and at Winchester the Britons were crushed by the savage hordes. The Britons fled across the Salisbury Plain to the fortress at Old Sarum which was their last stand in south England. The conquering Saxons held Old Sarum until 1066, when William with his Normans occupied the old city until 1220 A.D. But why all this historical background? someone may ask. It is to prove that the Pyle family could easily have been brought to England from Continental Europe by an invading army, and that is just what we think happened! Pyle family tradition says that members of the Pyle family took part in the battle of Thermopylae as allies of Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans. The battle raged for three days and every attempt by Xeroxes to overcome the Spartans and their allies was repulsed, but on the third night the Spartans were betrayed by "The Judas of Greece" Then Leonidas, knowing that he could no longer hold his postiion, sent his allies home, and he with his three hundred Spartans remained to die in the Pass. We are told that a number of the soldiers of the allies of Leonidas were so proud of having fought in the battle of Thermopylae that they changed their names to Pylae which name composed the last five letters of the word Thermopylae. This battle was in the year 480 B.C. In the autumn of 55 B.C. Julius Caesar invaded Britian and it is claimed that some of the members of his legions were descendants of those who had changed their names to Pylae in honor of the battle of Thermopylae and that a number of them remained in England and dropped the letter "a" from their names, leaving it Pyle.