Abdy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The lineage of the name Abdy begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in or near an abbey. More specifically, the surname Abdy was originally derived from the settlement of Abdy, a family estate in Yorkshire. The surname also has an occupational origin, and signifies one who was employed at an abbey. 1

Early Origins of the Abdy family

The surname Abdy was first found in Yorkshire, where Robert and Johannes del Abdy were registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2 3Another source notes that Robert del Abdy was similarly listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls at that time. 1

Further north in Scotland, Abdie is a parish, in the district of Cupar, Fifeshire. 4 "The parish, anciently called Lindores, was formerly of much greater extent than at present, including the lands of the parish of Newburgh." 5

Back in England, Stapleford Abbot's in Essex was home to another branch of the family. "The fine old mansion of Albyns, the residence of the Abdy family, built by Inigo Jones, is situated here. In the church are also monuments to the family of Abdy; to John, Lord Fortescue, one of the justices of the court of common pleas; and his son Dormer, the last lord." 6

Early records of the name mention Henry de Abde in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, County Lancashire. Robert del Abbay, was documented in 1332, in County Lancashire. 2 William de Mikelfield del Abbay, was recorded during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377) in Somerset. 7 Robert de Abbey of Yorkshire was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. George Abbey registered at Magdelen College, Oxford in the year 1594. Robert del Abdy, Johannes del Abdy, et Agnes, uxor ejus, and Johannes del Abdy, et Margareta, uxor ejus, were recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379. 2

Early History of the Abdy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abdy research. Another 213 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1577, 1579, 1583, 1600, 1612, 1615, 1620, 1630, 1631, 1640, 1643, 1648, 1655, 1662, 1670, 1686, 1688, 1689, 1691, 1704, 1727, 1730, 1733, 1748, 1750, 1776, 1791 and 1846 are included under the topic Early Abdy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abdy Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Abdy has undergone many spelling variations, including Abdy, Abdie, Abde, Abdey, Abdee, Abdye, Abbdy, Abbdey and many more.

Early Notables of the Abdy family

Distinguished members of the family include

Anthony Abdy (1579-1640), East India merchant of London, Sheriff of London (1630-1631)
Sir Thomas Abdy, 1st Baronet (1612-1686), an English lawyer and landowner
Sir Anthony Abdy, 2nd Baronet (1655-1704), an English landowner
Sir Anthony Thomas Abdy, 3rd Baronet (1688-1733), English lawyer and landowner
Sir William Abdy, 4th Baronet (1689-1750), English landowner
Sir Robert Abdy, 1st Baronet of Albyns, Essex (c. 1615-1670)
Sir John Abdy, 2nd Baronet of Albyns, Essex (1643-1691)
Sir Robert Abdy, 3rd Baronet of Albyns, Essex (1688-1748) MP for Essex (1727-1748)

Abdy migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Abdy were among those contributors:

Abdy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mathew Abdy, who sailed to Virginia in 1635
Mathew Abdy, aged 15, English settler from Berkshire, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Abigail" 8
Matthew Abdy, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 8
Roger Abdy, who landed in America in 1640 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Abdy (post 1700) +

Rowena Fischer Meeks Abdy (1887-1945), American modernist painter, known for her landscapes
Maria Abdy (1797-1867), née Smith, an English poetess, daughter of Richard Smith, by a sister of Horace and James Smith 9
Edward Strutt Abdy (1791-1846), English legal academic and writer on America, the fifth and youngest son of Thomas Abdy Abdy, Esq., of Albyns, Essex 9
Sir William Abdy (1779-1868), 7th Baronet, a British peer and politician
Sir Thomas Neville Abdy DL, JP (b. 1810), 1st Baronet of Albyns, a British peer and politician
John Thomas Abdy (1822-1899), British Regius Professor of Civil Law at Cambridge University
Sir John Abdy (1714-1759), 4th Baronet, British peer and Tory politician, Member of Parliament for Essex (1748-1759)
Brigadier-General Anthony John Abdy CB, CBE (1856-1924), British Army officer and cricketer who played for Hampshire in 1881
Charles Abdy Marcon (1853-1949), English clergyman, Master of Marcon's Hall, Oxford (1891 to 1918)

The Abdy Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tenax et fidelis
Motto Translation: Persevering and faithful.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
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)
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019