Tembay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Tembay surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in Danby, the name of two parishes in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The place-name Danby is derived from the Old English word dan.

Early Origins of the Tembay family

The surname Tembay was first found in West Yorkshire at Denby Dale where the first record of the place name was in the Domesday Book where it was listed as Denebi. 1 Today Denby Dale is a village and civil parish in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees and is known for baking giant pies, a tradition first started in 1788 to celebrate the recovery of King George III from his mental illness.

Alternatively the name could have been derived from Danby, a parish, in the union of Guisborough, E. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. "This place, which was formerly of considerable importance, was granted by the Conqueror to Robert de Brus, who held of the king in capite, and who built a castle here; which, with the estate, remained with the family till the time of Henry III. " 2

Another branch of the family was found in the parish of Shilton in Warwickshire. "It was formerly the residence of a branch of the Denbigh family, whose ancient mansion is still remaining." 2

The variant Tenby, Thinbegh and Tynbegh originated in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. Some of this family emigrated to Ireland. William Tynbegh, or de Thinbegh (c.1370-1424) was an Irish lawyer who held the office of Chief Justice and Lord High Treasurer of Ireland.

Early History of the Tembay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tembay research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1212, 1300, 1419, 1421, 1423, 1426, 1474, 1503, 1530, 1554, 1571, 1575, 1576, 1590, 1610, 1631, 1655, 1660, 1667, 1727, 1757, 1781, 1787 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Tembay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tembay Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Tembay include Danby, Danbie, Danbey and others.

Early Notables of the Tembay family

Notables of the family at this time include His Worship Sir Robert Danby KS JP (died 1474), a British justice, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Chief Justice of England; John Denby, British politician, Member of Parliament for Wallingford (1419 and 1426); John Denby, British politician, Member of Parliament for Ludgershall (1421 and 1423); Sir Christopher Danby...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tembay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tembay family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Hector and Hestor Danby who landed in North Carolina in 1674 are typical of the early Danby settlers to the colonies; Catherine Danby landed in America in 1743.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.