Mollinex History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Mollinex is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Mollinex family lived in Lancashire. The name however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Molineaux-Sur-Seine, near Rouen, in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Mollinex family

The surname Mollinex was first found in Lancashire as "an ancient Norman family, who have been possessed of the manor of Sefton, in this county, from the period of the Conquest, or very soon afterwards: it was held as a knight's fee, as of the Castle of Lancaster." 1 William de Molines was the first recorded ancestor. "Previously to the Conquest, 'Sextune,' one of the original parishes of Lancashire, was held by five thanes. The family of Molyneux or Molines subsequently settled here. William des Molines, so named from Moulines, a town of Bourbonnois, in France, is mentioned in the Norman Chronicles as a man of noble origin, held in high esteem by the Duke William, afterwards William I. of England. In the roll of Battle Abbey, his name stands the eighteenth in order; and soon after the Conquest, he acquired, by gift of Roger de Poictou, the lordships of Sefton, Thornton, and Kerden, of which he made Sefton his chief seat. " 2

We now wish to draw the reader's attention to the township of Netherton in the parish of Sefton. "Sir William Molyneux, who received the honour of knighthood in the 46th of Henry III., gave by a deed without date, to William, son of his brother Roger, certain lands in Netherton, to hold by knight's service and the yearly rent of one halfpenny; and Sir William, a member of the same family, gave lands in Netherton to his son, John, about the reign of Richard II. The township is still the property of the family of Molyneux." 2

Over in Kirby more records of the family were found. "Adam de Molynes, lord of Sefton, in the reign of William II. married Annotta, heiress of Benedict, son of Roger Gernet; and this place has ever since remained in the family of Molyneux, of Sefton." 2

The parish of Altcar in Lancashire has an interesting feature of the family's history. "Little Altcar is a hamlet adjacent to Formby; and Altcar Hall is an ordinary farmhouse, over the door of which were formerly the arms of the noble family of Molyneux." 2

"Croxteth Hall, [in West Derby, Lancashire] formerly called Barret's Hall, the chief seat of the earl of Sefton, is situated in this township on the borders of Croxteth Park, from which it takes its name. The Molyneux family acquired it in Henry VI's reign, when Sir Richard Molyneux was steward of the manor, and about 1540 was one of the chief residences of the Molyneux family." 3

Early History of the Mollinex family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mollinex research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1594, 1598, 1616, 1620, 1624, 1636, 1651, 1654, 1656, 1685, 1693, 1696, 1698, 1699, 1702 and 1759 are included under the topic Early Mollinex History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mollinex Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Molinieux, Molinaux, Molineaux, Molineux, Molinex and many more.

Early Notables of the Mollinex family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Molyneux of Horton; Emery Molyneux (d. 1598), English Elizabethan maker of globes, mathematical instruments and ordnance; Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux (1594-1636); Richard Molyneux, 2nd Viscount...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mollinex Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mollinex family to Ireland

Some of the Mollinex family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mollinex migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Mollinex or a variant listed above:

Mollinex Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Mollinex, aged 37, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1685 4
Isabel Mollinex, who landed in Virginia in 1698 4

Citations +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
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)