Cuminghan History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe rugged west coast of Scotland in the kingdom of Dalriada is the setting from which came the Cuminghan name. The name derives from someone having 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. Early Origins of the Cuminghan familyThe surname Cuminghan 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." 1 Early History of the Cuminghan familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cuminghan research. Another 118 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 Cuminghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cuminghan Spelling VariationsIn various documents Cuminghan has been spelled Since medieval scribes still spelled according to sound, records from that era contain an enormous number of spelling variations. Cunningham, Cunninghame, Cunyngham, Cunnyngham, Cunnynghame, Cummingham and many more. Early Notables of the Cuminghan familyNotable amongst the Clan at this time was Cuthbert 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... Migration of the Cuminghan family to IrelandSome of the Cuminghan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Migration of the Cuminghan familyNumerous Scottish settlers settled along the east coast of the colonies that would become the United States and Canada. Others traveled to the open country of the west. At the time of the American War of Independence, some remained in the United States, while those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The highland games and Clan societies that sprang up across North America in the 20th century have helped many Scots to recover parts of their lost traditions. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Cuminghans to arrive in North America: John Cunningham, his wife and son, who settled in Barbados in 1679.
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