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The illustrious name Verny dates back to before the Norman Conquest when the held lands in "Vernai, a parish in the arrondissement of Bayeux, [France and was later] Latinized in charters, temp. Hen. I., as Vernacum." 1
Many of the family arrived in England after the Conquest but not all as "Wigen de Verigny, or De Verincio, and Walter de Verney [were listed in] Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae); also in 1198." 2
This last author continues: "Philippus Vernei 1195. Vernai was near Bayeux, Normandy. Gerelinus de Vernai c. 1080 granted lands to St. Peter Conches (Gall. Christ. xi. 132, Instr.); and Ralph de Vernai about the same time held, jointly with Ralph de Toeni, lands at Bois-Raillate. Walter de Vernai occurs in Cambridge [England in ] 1158." 2
"In our 13th-cent. rolls we find the forms (with prefixed de) Verney, Vernay, and Vernai. Vernay or Verney is naturally not an uncommon place-name in France." 3
The surname Verny was first found in Gloucestershire where Robert de Vernai was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1221. 4
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included entries for: Lucya de Vernai, Oxfordshire; Simon de Vernay, Northamptonshire; and Ralph de Verney, Oxfordshire. 5
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Verny research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1419, 1465, 1478, 1563, 1584, 1586, 1590, 1599, 1613, 1615, 1616, 1620, 1630, 1640, 1642, 1648, 1649, 1661, 1668, 1696 and 1717 are included under the topic Early Verny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Varney, Verney and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Ralph Verney (d. 1478), Lord Mayor of London in 1465; Sir Richard Verney (1563-1630), an English landowner and politician; Greville Verney, 7th Baron Willoughby de Broke and de jure 15th Baron Latimer (1586-1642), an English politician; Greville Verney, 8th Baron Willoughby de Broke and de jure 16th Baron Latimer (ca. 1620-1648), an English peer; Sir Ralph Verney (1613-1696), created 1st Baronet Verney of Middle Claydon in 1661; Greville Verney, 9th Baron Willoughby de Broke and de jure 17th Baron Latimer (1649-1668), an English peer; and...
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Verny Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Verny or a variant listed above: William Verney, a bonded passenger who came to America in 1773; John Verney, who was on record in the census of Ontario of 1871; E. Varney, who settled in Belfast, Maine, in 1822.