Coventrie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The history of the Coventrie family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Coventry in the county of Warwick.

Early Origins of the Coventrie family

The surname Coventrie was first found in Warwickshire at Coventry. "In ancient records this place is called Coventre, and Conventrey, probably from the foundation of a convent, of which St. Osberg was abbess in the year 1016, when it was burnt by Canute, King of Denmark, and Edric the traitor, who, having invaded Mercia, destroyed many towns in Warwickshire. " 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Thomas de Coventre, Oxfordshire; and William de Covingtre, Oxfordshire while the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I list Walter de Coventre, Lincolnshire, Henry III-Edward I. 2 The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III lists Alexander de Coventre, Warwickshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of Edward I's reign.) 3

The early Scottish branch of the family claim descent from the county of Warwick, England. "Peter de Coventre rendered homage at Berwick, 1291. The earliest bearers of the name in Scotland appear to have been churchmen. Johannes de Couentre was a charter witness in Angus, 1344, and William de Couentre granted anew the church of Inhyrharyte (Inverharity) in the diocese of St. Andrews the following year." 4

Barons Coventry descend from John Coventry who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1426.

Early History of the Coventrie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coventrie research. Another 216 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1291, 1348, 1426, 1509, 1539, 1564, 1575, 1578, 1604, 1606, 1607, 1612, 1619, 1621, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1629, 1636, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1652, 1660, 1661, 1672, 1674, 1679, 1680, 1681, 1685, 1686, 1687, 1689 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Coventrie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coventrie Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Coventrie include Coventry, Coventrie, Coventre, Coventreye and many more.

Early Notables of the Coventrie family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry (1578-1640), English lawyer, politician and judge, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (1625); Thomas Coventry, 2nd Baron Coventry (1606-1661), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1626 and 1629, member of the House of Lords, supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War; The Honourable Henry Coventry (1619-1686), an English politician, Secretary of State for the...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coventrie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coventrie 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

Coventrie Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Miles Coventrie who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
Miles Coventrie, aged 18, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 6
Mr. Miles Coventrie, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 7

The Coventrie 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: Candide et constanter
Motto Translation: Fairly and firmly.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm