Quinsy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Quinsy surname is one of the many Norman names that came to Britain following 1066. The Quinsy surname is generally thought to have come from Cuinchy in the Arrondissement of Béthune, Pays de Calais region of northern France; however there were several places in France such as Quincy-sous-Sénard in Seine-et-Oise or Quincy-Voisins in Seine-et-Marne.

Another reference states clearly that the name is "a baronial family from Quincé, Maine to the house of De Rohan, whose arms they bore. The mascles [(hollow diamond shapes)] were borne by the Dukes de Rohan." 1

These place names all derive from the Gallo-Roman personal name Quintus, meaning "fifth-born."

Early Origins of the Quinsy family

The surname Quinsy was first found in Northamptonshire, where the first of several to bear the name Saer de Quincy (Saer I) was Lord of the Manor of Long Buckby. Saer I was the second husband of Matilda of St Liz, stepdaughter of King David I of Scotland, and thus the family had holdings in Scotland from very early times. 2

This line produced Saer de Quincy (1170-1219), 1st Earl of Winchester. He was one of the leaders of the baronial rebellion against King John of England. He fought against King John after the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. While on the Fifth Crusade in 1219, he fell sick and died and was buried in Acre, the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

"In the reign of the Second Henry, Saier de Quincy had a grant from the crown of the Manor of Bushley, co. Northampton, previously the property of Anselme de Conchis. Of his two sons, the elder, Robert, became a Soldier of the Cross, and the younger, Saier, was created Earl of Winchester by King John. He subsequently obtained large grants and immunities from the same monarch, but, nevertheless, when the Baronial War broke out, his Lordship's pennant waved on the side of freedom, and be became so eminent amongst his contemporaries that he was chosen one of the twenty-five Barons appointed to enforce the observance of Magna Charta." 3

"The name is in Holinshed's list of the followers of William the Conqueror." 4

Early rolls give us today a glimpse of the many spelling is use over the years. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two entries with an early spelling: Robert de Quency, Essex; and Hawyse de Quency, Bedfordshire. 5 The aforementioned Saer de Quincy was listed in Oxford Rolls as a Knights Templar in 1153-1163. Henry Quenci was listed in Lincolnshire in early days. 6

Early History of the Quinsy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quinsy research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1155, 1160, 1195, 1219, 1265, 1722, 1774, 1775, 1785 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Quinsy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quinsy Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Quinsy include Quincy, Quincey, de Quincey, Quince and others.

Early Notables of the Quinsy family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Saer de Quincy (1155-1219), 1st Earl of Winchester, a prominent figure in both Scotland and England, who was one of the leaders of the baronial rebellion against King John of England that followed the Magna Carta. He died in 1219 after becoming ill during the siege of Damietta, during the Fifth Crusade: he was buried in Acre, Jerusalem, but his heart was brought back and interred at Garendon Abbey near Loughborough. Years later, John Quincy (died 1722) was an English apothecary, but better known as a medical writer.Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859), was the...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Quinsy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Quinsy family

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Quinsys to arrive on North American shores: Parker Quince who settled in Boston in 1763; Edmund Quincy, originally of Wigsthorp in Northumberland (of the Scottish Quinceys), settled in Boston in 1633.

Citations +

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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)