Kenniston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales

The forbears of the name Kenniston once lived in or near some now-lost place called Kynaston, which experts agree was probably in the English border county of Shropshire. The surname Kenniston belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Kenniston family

The surname Kenniston was first found in Shropshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kinnerly, some say before the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066. Conjecturally they are descended from the Princes of Powys in Wales, through Griffith, son of Joerweth Goch, Lord of Mochnan, younger son of Meredith, Prince of Powis who took refuge in Shropshire. King Henry III of England gave him lands in that county. He married Matilda, the heiress of Ralph le Strange by whom he acquired the Manor of Kinnerly. Griffith' son, Griffith Vychan settled at Tre-gynvarth, which, when anglicized, is Kynvarth's Town, which, when spoken, became slurred into Kynastown, or Kynaston.

Early History of the Kenniston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kenniston research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1433, 1459, 1491, 1495, 1516, 1534, 1554, 1564, 1587, 1590, 1621, 1622, 1640, 1642 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Kenniston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kenniston Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Kenniston has seen various spelling variations: Kynaston, Kynerston, Kinnaston, Kinaston, Keniston, Kennison, Kenison and many more.

Early Notables of the Kenniston family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Francis Kynaston (1516-1590), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Shropshire in April 1554; Sir Francis Kynaston or Kinaston (1587-1642), an English lawyer, courtier, poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kenniston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kenniston migration to the United States +

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Kenniston:

Kenniston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Allen Kenniston, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1642 1
Edward Kenniston, who landed in Maryland in 1663 1
Gabriel Kenniston, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 1
William Kenniston, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 1

Kenniston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Kenniston, who landed in New England in 1746 1

Citations +

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)