Dawney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Dawney family

The surname Dawney was first found in Cornwall where the family held at one time fifteen manors and were descended by an heiress to the house of Courtenay Earl of Devon about the reign of Edward II. 1

It is known to be a "Norman family by reputation, and said to be traced to the Conquest, descended from Sir William Downay, who was in the wars in the Holy Land with Richard I. in 1192, at which time that King gave him, in memory of his acts of valour, a ring from his finger, which is still in possession of the family." 1

The actual spelling of Sir William is under dispute as another reference claims William D'Aunay accompanied Richard I. to Palestine. 2

This latter reference digs further to their earlier life in Normandy where the name was also known as "De Alneto, a branch of the baronial house of Bassett, deriving from Fulco or Fulcelin de Alneto, brother of Osmond Bassett, Baron of Normanville in 1050." 2

"The manors of East and West Antony, [Cornwall] though separated for several ages, were originally in the family of Dawney or Danny; and after passing through many changes, they are again re-united in the possession of the Right Hon. Reginald Pole Carew. East Antony was carried by an heiress from the Dawneys to the Archdeknes. This transfer must have taken place so early as the fourteenth century, since Sir Waren Archdekne, or Erchdeken, left three daughters, one of whom was married to Sir Thomas Arundell, died possessed of this manor in the year 1420." 3

"The manor of West Antony, which, as we have already noted was originally in the family of Dawney, passed by a daughter from Sir John Dawney, her father, to Sir Edward Courtenay, her husband, and was for several generations possessed by the Earls of Devonshire of that name. The manor of Tregantle, like East and West Antony, was originally in the family of Dawney, from whom it passed to the Courtenays." 3

"The church of Sheviock was founded and endowed by those knightly gentlemen, lords of the barton and manor of Sheviock, surnamed Daunye, or Dawnye; so called from the manor of Stanacomb Dawney in Devonshire, whereof they were lords; heretofore privileged with the jurisdiction of life and member." 3

Early History of the Dawney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dawney research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1331, 1394, 1415, 1420, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1600, 1625, 1660, 1661, 1664, 1690, 1695, 1707, 1708, 1727 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Dawney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawney Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dawney, Dawny, Dawn, Dawnie, Dawne, Dawnay, Dawnsey, Daun, Dorn, Dorne and many more.

Early Notables of the Dawney family

Notable amongst the family at this time was John Dawnay of Womersley, Yorkshire; and his son, John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe (c 1625-1695), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (1660-1661) and Pontefract (1661-1690.)...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dawney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dawney migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dawney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Bryan Dawney, who settled in Virginia in 1722
Brian Dawney, who arrived in Virginia in 1722
Mary Dawney, who settled in America in 1745

Dawney migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Dawney Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Francis Dawney, who landed in Jamaica in 1785 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Dawney (post 1700) +

David Dawney (b. 1903), Olympic record holder at the 1936 Olympic Games held in 1936, member of the Silver Eventing Team Competition

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)