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The ancestry of the name Congreeve dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived near a lane cut through woods or forest. The name is derived from congreave, a Old English word for such a road.
The surname Congreeve was first found in Staffordshire at Congreve, "where the ancestors of this house were seated soon after the Conquest." 1 Congreve is now part of Penkridge, a market town and civil parish as of 1934.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Congreeve research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1669, 1670 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Congreeve History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Congreeve have been found, including Congreve, Congrave and others.
Distinguished members of the family include William Congreve (1670-1729), and English dramatist and poet. He was "born at Bardsey, near Leeds, where he was baptised on 10 Feb. 1669. He was the son Congreve; his mother's maiden name Browning. His grandfather, Richard Congreve, was a cavalier named for the order of...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Congreeve Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Congreeve, or a variant listed above: John Congrave and Winifred settled in Virginia in 1635.