Rennox History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Rennox name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the region of Renwick beside the Eden river in Cumberland. Rennox is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Rennox family

The surname Rennox was first found in Cumberland where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Rennox family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rennox research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1662, 1676, 1685, 1687 and 1688 are included under the topic Early Rennox History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rennox 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 Rennox has undergone many spelling variations, including Renwick, Rennick and others.

Early Notables of the Rennox family

Distinguished members of the family include James Renwick (1662-1688), a Scottish minister, the last of the Covenanter martyrs, sentenced to die by hanging. He was the youngest child of Andrew Renwick (d. 1 Feb. 1676), a weaver, born near the village of Moniaive in the parish of Glencairn, Dumfriesshire. Several previous children had died in infancy; James received the careful training of an only child. Renwick refused to join the insurrection of 1685 under Archibald Campbell, ninth earl of Argyll. On 18 Oct., 1687, a...
Another 85 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rennox Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rennox family to Ireland

Some of the Rennox family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Rennox 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 Rennox were among those contributors: Samuel Renick settled in Philadelphia in 1804; John Renwick was banished to New Jersey in 1685; Francis, James and William Renwick arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..