Show ContentsChinnery History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Chinnery family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Essex. The family was originally from St. Ceneri, Normandy, and it is from this location, where the Chinnery family lived prior to the invasion of England, that the surname was originally derived.

Early Origins of the Chinnery family

The surname Chinnery was first found in Essex where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Chinnery family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Chinnery research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1774, 1797, 1852, 1860 and 1932 are included under the topic Early Chinnery History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Chinnery Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Chinnery were recorded, including Chenery, Chinnery, Chinnerey, Chinner and others.

Early Notables of the Chinnery family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Nicholas Chinnery of Flintfield

Ireland Migration of the Chinnery family to Ireland

Some of the Chinnery family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Chinnery migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Chinnery arrived in North America very early:

Chinnery Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Rebecca Chinnery who settled in New England in 1756

Contemporary Notables of the name Chinnery (post 1700) +

  • Tony Chinnery, American builder of historical keyboard instruments, known for his harpsichords and early fortepianos; his work can be seen in the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence
  • Mark Chinnery, American actor, known for his work on Miracle Experiences! Unbelievable (1997), Fly, Dakota, Fly! (2013) and Thermae Romae (2012)
  • Wayne Chinnery, American politician, Independent Candidate for Virgin Islands legislature from St. Thomas-St.John, 2000 [1]
  • George Chinnery (1774-1852), English landscape painter who spent most of his life in Asia [2]
  • Charles Derek Chinnery (1925-2015), English controller of BBC Radio 1 from 1978 to 1985
  • Dennis Chinnery (1927-2012), British actor, known for The Plague of the Zombies (1966), Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror (1997) and The Naked Civil Servant (1975)
  • Sir Broderick Chinnery (1742-1808), 1st Baronet, an Irish politician, Member of Parliament for Castlemartyr (1783-1790), Member of Parliament for Bandonbridge (1790-1801)
  • Ernest William Pearson Chinnery (1887-1972), Australian anthropologist who worked extensively in Papua New Guinea and visited communities along the Sepik river


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  2. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019


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