Kynaston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The forbears of the name Kynaston once lived in or near some now-lost place called Kynaston, which experts agree was probably in the English border county of Shropshire. The surname Kynaston belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Kynaston family

The surname Kynaston was first found in Shropshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kinnerly, some say before the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066. Conjecturally they are descended from the Princes of Powys in Wales, through Griffith, son of Joerweth Goch, Lord of Mochnan, younger son of Meredith, Prince of Powis who took refuge in Shropshire. King Henry III of England gave him lands in that county. He married Matilda, the heiress of Ralph le Strange by whom he acquired the Manor of Kinnerly. Griffith' son, Griffith Vychan settled at Tre-gynvarth, which, when anglicized, is Kynvarth's Town, which, when spoken, became slurred into Kynastown, or Kynaston.

Early History of the Kynaston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kynaston research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1433, 1459, 1491, 1495, 1516, 1534, 1554, 1564, 1587, 1590, 1621, 1622, 1640, 1642 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Kynaston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kynaston Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Kynaston have included Kynaston, Kynerston, Kinnaston, Kinaston, Keniston, Kennison, Kenison and many more.

Early Notables of the Kynaston family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Francis Kynaston (1516-1590), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Shropshire in April 1554
Sir Francis Kynaston or Kinaston (1587-1642), an English lawyer, courtier, poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622, noted for his translation of Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilu...

Kynaston migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Kynaston:

Kynaston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Kynaston, who landed in America in 1769
John Kynaston, who landed in Virginia in 1770 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Kynaston (post 1700) +

Trent Kynaston (b. 1946), American jazz and classical saxophonist, music educator, and composer
John Kynaston (1728-1783), English author from Manchester
Sir John Roger Kynaston (1797-1866), 3rd Baronet of Hardwick and Worthen in Shropshire
Sir Edward Kynaston (1758-1839), 2nd Baronet of Hardwick and Worthen in Shropshire
Sir John Kynaston Powell (1753-1822), 1st Baronet of Hardwick and Worthen in Shropshire
Herbert Kynaston (1809-1878), English high-master of St Paul's School, London
David Kynaston (b. 1951), English historian and author
Brigadier General Sir George Kynaston Cockerill CB (1867-1957), British Army officer and a Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Reigate (1918-1931)
Kynaston McShine (1935-2018), Trinidad and Tobago-born museum curator of the Museum of Modern Art, Manhatten, New York City

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)