Show ContentsMasey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Masey family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Cheshire. Their name, however, is a reference to their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Macey in Manche, Normandy. [1]

Early Origins of the Masey family

The surname Masey was first found in Cheshire where the one of the first records of the name was "Hugh Massie, who married Agnes, daughter and heir of Nicholas Bold, of Coddington. Their son William purchased the manor of Coddington in the eighteenth of Henry VI." [2]

A branch of the family held a family seat at Backford since early times. "During a great part of the 13th and 14th centuries, the manor [of Backford] was held by the Masseys, of Timperley; about the year 1580 it was sold to Thomas Aldersey." [3]

Birkenhead in Cheshire was another ancient family seat. "A priory for sixteen Benedictine monks was founded [in Birkenhead] about 1150, in honour of St. Mary and St. James, by Hamon de Massey, third Baron of Dunham-Massey." [3]

Little is known of Hamon de Massey other than he held manors of Agden, Baguley, Bowdon, Dunham, Hale and Little Bollington. He is thought to have born in La Ferté-Macé, in the Orne department in north-western France.

Early History of the Masey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Masey research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1602, 1619, 1646, 1651, 1674, 1691, 1715, 1719, 1757, 1758, 1763, 1764, 1784, 1797, 1799, 1804, 1822, 1839, 1869 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Masey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Masey Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Massey, Massie, Macy, Macey and others.

Early Notables of the Masey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Edward Massey (c. 1619-1674), fifth son of John Massey of Coddington, an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1646 and 1674, he fought for the Parliamentary cause the First and Second English Civil Wars before changing allegiance and fighting for King Charles II during Third Civil War.Eyre Massey, 1st Baron Clarina (1719-1804), the Irish general, born on 24 May 1719, was fifth son of Colonel Hugh Massey of Duntryleague, co. Limerick, and his wife Elizabeth, fourth daughter of the Right Hon. George Evans, father of George...
Another 193 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Masey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Masey family to Ireland

Some of the Masey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Masey migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Masey name or one of its variants:

Masey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Winifred Masey, who landed in Maryland in 1671 [4]
  • Martin Masey, who arrived in Virginia in 1699 [4]
Masey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Masey, aged 45, who landed in New York, NY in 1812 [4]

Canada Masey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Masey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • James Masey, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. 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)


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