Danbay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient roots of the Danbay family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Danbay comes from when the family lived in Danby, the name of two parishes in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The place-name Danby is derived from the Old English word dan.

Early Origins of the Danbay family

The surname Danbay was first found in West Yorkshire at Denby Dale where the first record of the place name was in the Domesday Book where it was listed as Denebi. 1 Today Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees and is known for baking giant pies, a tradition first started in 1788 to celebrate the recovery of King George III from his mental illness.

Alternatively the name could have been derived from Danby, a parish, in the union of Guisborough, E. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. "This place, which was formerly of considerable importance, was granted by the Conqueror to Robert de Brus, who held of the king in capite, and who built a castle here; which, with the estate, remained with the family till the time of Henry III. " 2

Another branch of the family was found in the parish of Shilton in Warwickshire. "It was formerly the residence of a branch of the Denbigh family, whose ancient mansion is still remaining." 2

The variant Tenby, Thinbegh and Tynbegh originated in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Some of this family emigrated to Ireland. William Tynbegh, or de Thinbegh (c.1370-1424) was an Irish lawyer who held the office of Chief Justice and Lord High Treasurer of Ireland.

Early History of the Danbay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Danbay research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1212, 1300, 1419, 1421, 1423, 1426, 1474, 1503, 1530, 1554, 1571, 1575, 1576, 1590, 1610, 1631, 1655, 1660, 1667, 1727, 1757, 1781, 1787 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Danbay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Danbay Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Danbay has appeared include Danby, Danbie, Danbey and others.

Early Notables of the Danbay family

Notables of the family at this time include His Worship Sir Robert Danby KS JP (died 1474), a British justice, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Chief Justice of England; John Denby, British politician, Member of Parliament for Wallingford (1419 and 1426); John Denby, British politician, Member of Parliament for Ludgershall (1421 and 1423); Sir Christopher Danby...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Danbay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Danbay family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Danbay arrived in North America very early: Hector and Hestor Danby who landed in North Carolina in 1674 are typical of the early Danby settlers to the colonies; Catherine Danby landed in America in 1743.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.