The name Cundliffe first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the settlement of Concliff in the county of Lancashire. The surname Cundliffe belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The name in Anglo Saxon meant "War love."
The surname Cundliffe was first found in Lancashire where Nicholas le Cumbecliue was first listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. The name traces back to Cundcliff, now known as Cunliffe Hill, in the township of Billington, near Blackburn in Lancashire. [1] The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 - 1276 list Robert de Cundeclif in Yorkshire. [2] [1] A few years later Adam de Cunliffe was listed in Yorkshire 1317-1318. [1] The Register of Freemen of the City of York in 1411 lists Thomas Cunclyff. [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cundliffe research. Another 284 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1611, 1750, 1790, 1820 and 1871 are included under the topic Early Cundliffe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Cundliffe has appeared include Cunliffe, Cuncliffe, Concliffe, Conliffe, Cunlife, Conlife, Cunliff, Conliff and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Cundliffe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cundliffe arrived in North America very early: Henry Cunliffe who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1630; John and Esther Cunliffe arrived in Maryland in 1775 and later settled in Virginia; John Cunliffe settled in New York State in 1775.