Turney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Turney family, who lived in Shropshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Tournay-Sur-Dive, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Another source claims the name was derived from Tornai in Normandy. 1
Early Origins of the Turney family
The surname Turney was first found in Shropshire where they were Lords of the manor of Kinnersley and other lands in that shire, which the Domesday Book in 1086 shows as being an under tenant of Earl Roger. They were originally castellans of the castle at Exmes for the Counts of Exmes, the Montgomerys. The Tournay estates were originally at Tournay-Sur-Dive at Orne in the arrondisement of Argentan in Normandy.
Walter de Torni held Tornai, Normandy it 1165, by Castle Guard. "Upon the redistribution of the conquered province of Mercia, when Earl Roger de Montgomery entered Shropshire to possess and rule, Gerard de Tornai, one of his followers, received as the meed of service, eighteen valuable Saxon manors, of which the largest was Sutton.
"Gerard was one of those western magnates who, upon the accession of Rufus, rebelled against him. At any rate, De Tornai's career in Shropshire terminated, about 1088, in a total and absolute forfeiture. The disinherited Baron had a daughter, Sibil, wife of Hamo Peverel, who by special favour acquired a succession to the forfeited estate, under a title from the first ambiguous."- History and Antiquities of Shropshire.
Goisfrid de Tornai held a fief in Lincoln 1086 2 and William de Tornai was Viscount of Lincoln before 1130 (Pipe Rolls).
Simon of Tournay (fl. 1184-1200), was an early English schoolman, said to have been a native of Cornwall. His name was spelt many ways including Thurnai, Thurvay and in Latin as Thurnaius. "Whether he received that name because he was a native of Tournay, or because he subsequently held a canonry in the cathedral there, is uncertain. " 3
John de Thorney, Lord of Figheldean in Wiltshire, was summoned in 1324 to attend the great Council at Westminster: Simon Thorney, in 1316, was Lord of Holcombe in Somersetshire; and William de Thorney one of the "Servientes" performing military service due from the Bishop of Worcester in 1310.-Palgrave's Parliamentary Writs.
In Devonshire, Hugh de Tournay, in 1212, bestowed part of his manor of Molland on St. Nicholas' Priory, Exeter (v. Cartulary). In 1264, Roger de Tournay, being in attendance on Henry III. during his visit at Hurstmonceux Castle in Sussex, was accidentally killed by a bowshot while he was hunting in the park. William de Tornei witnesses Henry I.'s charter to Thetford Priory. (Cleverland3)
Early History of the Turney family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turney research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1664 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Turney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Turney Spelling Variations
Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Turney were recorded, including Tournay, Tornay, Tornai, Tourney and others.
Early Notables of the Turney family
More information is included under the topic Early Turney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Turney Ranking
In the United States, the name Turney is the 3,761st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4
Migration of the Turney family to Ireland
Some of the Turney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Turney migration to the United States +
The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Turney arrived in North America very early:
Turney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- James Turney, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 5
- Richard Turney, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 5
Turney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- John Turney, who settled in Maryland in 1761
Turney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Eugene Patrick Turney, aged 22, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1846 5
- S H Turney, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
- John Turney, who landed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1854 5
- James Turney, who settled in Philadelphia in 1855
- Francis Turney, who settled in Philadelphia in 1868
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Turney migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Turney Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mary Turney, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
- Timothy Turney, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
- Mr. Thomas Turney U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 6
- Mr. Thomas Turney Jr.,U.E. (b. 1753) born in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA who settled in Burton, Sundbury Count, New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1840 6
Turney migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Turney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- William Turney, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cressy" in 1847 7
Turney migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Turney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Charles Turney, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
- Maria Turney, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
- Jane Turney, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ann Wilson" in 1857
- L. Turney, aged 29, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waitangi" in 1874
- Bridget Turney, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waitangi" in 1874
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Turney (post 1700) +
- Edwin Turney (1929-2008), American businessman, one of the founders of Advanced Micro Devices
- Norris Turney (1921-2001), American jazz flautist and saxophonist
- Peter Turney (1827-1903), American politician, Governor of the Tennessee (1893 to 1897)
- Jacob Turney (1825-1891), American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- Hopkins L. Turney (1797-1857), American politician, United States Senator from Tennessee
- M. M. Turney, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1924 8
- Lester F. Turney (b. 1878), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Windsor, 1917-20 8
- Karen Turney, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 2000 8
- Jacob Turney (1825-1891), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 22nd District, 1858-60; U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 21st District, 1875-79 8
- Hopkins Lacy Turney (1797-1857), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Tennessee State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Tennessee 5th District, 1837-43; U.S. Senator from Tennessee, 1845-51 8
- ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CRESSY 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Cressy.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html