Denbigh History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Denbigh begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they 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 Denbigh family

The surname Denbigh 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 Denbigh family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Denbigh 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 Denbigh History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denbigh 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 Denbigh has undergone many spelling variations, including Danby, Danbie, Danbey and others.

Early Notables of the Denbigh 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 Denbigh Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Denbigh family

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 Denbigh were among those contributors: 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.