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Cunning is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from Gunwyn deriving its origin from the Old English gundwein, which meant "battle friend" or in some cases, as a baptismal name as in "the son of Gunwyn." 1
The surname Cunning was first found in Suffolk where "in Corton (Suffolk) in the reign of John, Gundewyn' de Nethergate held land which was held in 1275 by Gerald Gunwine or Gundwyne by heredity." 2
Gundewinus cortinarius was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1130. From this early Latin entry, Thomas Gundewin was found in the Close Rolls of 1228 and William Gundewyne was later listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2
The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had only one listing, Willelmus Gunwyn as holding lands there at that time. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cunning research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1615, 1661, 1670, 1674, 1675, 1684, 1731, 1734, 1765, 1771, 1772, 1774, 1776, 1798, 1816 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cunning History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Cunning has undergone many spelling variations, including Gunning, Guning and others.
Notables of the family at this time include Peter Gunning (1614-1684), an English Royalist church leader, Bishop of Chichester (1670-1675) and Ely (1675-1684), Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (1661.) He was son of Peter Gunning (d. 1615), vicar of Hoo, Kent, whose brother Richard settled in Ireland and was...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cunning Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Cunning were among those contributors: