Conisby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Conisby family

The surname Conisby was first found in Lincolnshire where they originated at Coningsby, a village and civil parish 8 miles north of Horncastle. Literally, the place name means "the king's manor or village," from the Old Scandinavian words "konunger" + "by." 1 The parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Cuningesbi. 2

At that time, Coningsby was the King's land, held in tenancy by Earl Hugh, Drogo, and Robert the Steward. It consisted of 15 fisheries. Conjecturally, the Coningsby family name is descended from this Norman source. Sir John Coningsby of Coningsby Castle, earliest recorded of the surname, was slain at Chesterfield in the Barons war with King John in 1216. North Mimms, Hertfordshire was an early home of the family. The church is built of flints, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a lofty spire, and contains many effigies, brasses with inscriptions in black letter, and other ancient memorials and the windows of which exhibit in stained glass various coats of arms, principally of the Coningsby family. 3

"The church [of King's Areley in Worcestershire] is situated on a considerable eminence commanding a fine prospect and nearly overhanging the river, which flows through a rich valley at the base. In the burial ground is a singular sepulchral monument, of the date of about 1690, supposed to commemorate Sir Harry Coningsby, of Hampton Court, who lived in seclusion in this parish, in consequence of the loss of his only child." 3

Early History of the Conisby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conisby research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1447, 1451, 1460, 1477, 1479, 1480, 1495, 1500, 1509, 1527, 1540, 1541, 1585, 1589, 1591, 1603, 1616, 1621, 1623, 1625, 1640, 1641, 1644, 1656, 1660, 1666, 1719, 1729 and 1761 are included under the topic Early Conisby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conisby Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Coningsby, Conisbee, Colisbe, Conigsby, Conesby, Conisby, Connisby, Connesbie, Conesbie, Conisbye, Conisbee, Connisbee, Collisbee, Colisbee, Collisbie, Collisby, Collesby, Conningsbie, Coningsbie, Coningesby, Cunnisby, Cunningsby and many more.

Early Notables of the Conisby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Coningsby (d. 1540?), judge, second son of "Sir Humphrey Coningsby (who figures as a pleader in the Yearbooks from 1480, was appointed serjesnt-at-law on 9 Sept. 1495, king's serjeant on 30 Oct. 1500, a puisne judge of the king's bench on 21 May 1509, was knighted then or shortly afterwards, and was still living and on the bench in 1527)." 4 Sir Thomas Coningsby (died 1625), was an English soldier and Member of Parliament, notable for his diary of military action in France in 1591; Humphrey Coningsby (born ca. 1623), an...
Another 142 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Conisby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conisby migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Conisby Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Conisby, who settled in Barbados in 1635
William Conisby, aged 31, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 6
Mr. Wiliam Conisby, (b. 1604), aged 31, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 7

The Conisby Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vestigia nulla retrorsum
Motto Translation: No steps backwards.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm