Dancey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Dancey is a name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066. The Dancey family lived in Wiltshire. The family was originally from Anizy, in Calvados, Normandy, and it is from this location that their surname derives. The name would have stood as D'Anizy, which means from Anizy. 1

Early Origins of the Dancey family

The surname Dancey was first found in Wiltshire where Richard de Dauntesye was one of the first records of the name as listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls listed Peter de Dauntesy in Berkshire. 2

West Lavington in Wiltshire "was for many generations the property of the Dauntsey family, of whom William Dauntsey, a younger son, was alderman of London in 1542." 3 He would later found and endow an almshouse, and a grammar school there. The church contains the sepulchral chapel of the Dauntsey family. Through marriage the property passed to the Danvers family.

Early History of the Dancey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dancey research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1242, 1348, 1349, 1542, 1632, 1660 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Dancey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dancey Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Dancey, Dauncy, Dauncey, Dauntsey, Dance, Dancie, Dauncie, Dauntsie and many more.

Early Notables of the Dancey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Dansy, High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1348 and 1349. Roger Dansey was High Sheriff of Herefordshire in 1632. William Dauntesey (or Dauntsey) was a London merchant and Master of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. He died...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dancey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dancey family to Ireland

Some of the Dancey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dancey migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Dancey or a variant listed above were:

Dancey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Dancey who settled in the same colony in 1697

Dancey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dancey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Alfred Dancey, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 27th August 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Dancey (post 1700) +

John Christopher Dancey, British educator

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian