| ![Show Contents]() Conyngham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
Etymology of ConynghamWhat does the name Conyngham mean? The Dalriadan kingdom of ancient Scotland was the home of the ancestors of the Conyngham family. Their name indicates that they lived at Cunningham in Ayrshire. However, numerous branches of the Cunningham family spread all over Scotland. Two of the most prominent branches of the Cunningham Clan, the Cunninghams of Corsehill and the Cunninghams of Caprington, trace their ancestry back to the medieval era. Conyngham Coat of Arms CreationThe Cuninghames have as their crest a unicorn, and the motto is, " Over fork over." The unicorn is so named from its having only one horn, which grows out of its forehead. It represents strength, a haughty mind, and one who would rather die than be brought into subjection. The horn was said to possess a powerful antidote against poison, and that other animals were glad to drink of water stirred by the horn. As to the motto, the story is that Malcolm, the first of the family, assisted Malcolm (afterwards King Malcolm Canmore) to escape when pursued by Macbeth, by forking straw or hay over him. The King afterwards rewarded him by the gift of the Thanedom of Cuninghame, and the figure on the shield like the letter Y represents the shake-fork. The other story is that the motto is derived from the fact that an ancestor had charge of the King's horses, and the shakefork was the instrument by which hay was forked to them. 1 Early Origins of the Conyngham familyThe surname Conyngham was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire. About the year 1050, it is said that Warnebald Cunningham saved King Malcolm Canmore by hiding him in the barn and covering him with hay concealing him from his pursuer the Pretender King, MacBeth. The grateful King Malcolm later bestowed on Warnebald the lands of Cunningham and the motto "Over Fork Over." 2 Early History of the Conyngham familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conyngham research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1490, 1520, 1548, 1574, 1575, 1578, 1610, 1630, 1664, 1670, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Conyngham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Conyngham Spelling VariationsTranslation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of Conyngham include Cunningham, Cunninghame, Cunyngham, Cunnyngham, Cunnynghame, Cummingham and many more. Early Notables of the Conyngham familyCuthbert Cunningham, 3rd Earl of Glencairn; William Cunningham, 4th Earl of Glencairn (c. 1490-1548), a Scottish nobleman; Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn (died 1574), Scottish nobleman and Protestant reformer; William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn (ca. 1520-1578); James Cunningham, 7th Earl of Glencairn (died 1630), a Scottish peer, member of...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Conyngham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Conyngham family to IrelandSome of the Conyngham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Conyngham migration to the United States | + |
The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Conyngham or a variant listed above include:
Conyngham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Alexander Conyngham, aged 21, who landed in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1804 3
- Andrew Conyngham, aged 6, who arrived in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1804 3
- Catherine Conyngham, aged 12, who arrived in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1804 3
- Elitia Conyngham, aged 34, who landed in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1804 3
- George Conyngham, aged 49, who arrived in New Castle or Philadelphia in 1804 3
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Conyngham (post 1700) | + |
- Gustavus Conyngham (1744-1819), Irish-born, American merchant sea captain, officer in the Continental Navy and a privateer, eponym of the USS Conyngham (DD-58), USS Conyngham (DD-371), and the USS Conyngham (DDG-17)
- Henry Conyngham (1705-1781), 1st Earl Conyngham PC Irish nobleman and politician
- Barry Conyngham AM, MA (b. 1944), Australian composer and academic
- Lord Francis Nathaniel Conyngham (1832-1880), Irish politician
- Francis Conyngham (1725-1787), 2nd Baron Conyngham, an Irish peer and politician
- General Francis Nathaniel Conyngham KP, GCH, PC, (1797-1876), 2nd Marquess Conyngham, Irish soldier, courtier and politician
- William Burton Conyngham (1733-1796), Irish politician, Member of Parliament for Newtown Limavady (1761 – 1777)
- Henry Conyngham KP, GCH, PC, FSA , (1766-1832), 1st Marquess Conyngham, Anglo-Irish courtier and politician, Lord Steward between 1821 and 1830
- Sir Nicholas Conyngham Tindal (1776-1846), English lawyer, Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas
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: Over fork over
- Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
- Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
- 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)
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