Gayne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Gayne family

The surname Gayne was first found in Huntingdonshire where conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Redinger held by " "Richard d'Engaine who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Richard was of Engen near Boulogne and accompanied the Conqueror at Hastings. Vitalis, his son, married the daughter of the Earl of Oxford, Alberic de Ver. It is apparent that the main line of the family were one of the rebellious barons for the next we hear is of Vitalis and Richard in Northumberland in 1130. 1

Ralph Engaine held estates in Cumberland in 1158. Some lines of the family continued in Gloucestershire, Suffolk and Devon where Richard Ingayn held in 1310. 2

William Ingania, Inganie was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding lands in Northumberland and Huntingdonshire. 3

Ralph Engaigne was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Cumberland in 1158; William de Engain in the Feet of Fines for Huntingdonshire in 1208; Richard Ingan in Gloucestershire in 1228; John en Gayne alias den Gayne in Suffolk in 1271; John le Gayne in Yorkshire in 1275; William Denganye,-de Enganne in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1279; and Richard Ingayn in Devon in 1310. The family name is only rarely spelled de Engaine. 1

"Richard Engaine, Chief Engineer to the Conqueror, derived his name from his office, and founded the baronial House of Engaine. Joane, daughter and heiress of John D'Engaine, a descendant of the Norman warrior, married in 1381, Sir Baldwin St. George, Knt. of Hatley, M.P. for Cambridgeshire, and from this alliance derived the St. Georges, the distinguished Kings of Arms, as well as the noble family of St. George of Hatley St. George, and its flourishing branch, planted in Ireland, from which spring the St. Georges, of Wood Park, County Armagh, and Woodsgift, county Kilkenny." 4

Early History of the Gayne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gayne research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1124, 1299, 1346, 1347 and 1380 are included under the topic Early Gayne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gayne Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Engain, Gain, Gayn, Gaines, Ingain, Engham, Engaine, D'Engain, D'Engayne, Engame, Engam, Gayne, Gayn, Gaynes, Angain, Gayney, Dengaine, Dengayne, Dangain, D'Angain, Gagne, Ingen and many more.

Early Notables of the Gayne family

More information is included under the topic Early Gayne Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gayne migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gayne or a variant listed above:

Gayne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Gayne, aged 36, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 5
Anne Gayne, who landed in Virginia in 1650 5
Thomas Gayne, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 5

Gayne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Gayne, who landed in New York in 1798 5

Gayne migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gayne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Gayne, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of the Avon" in 1859

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, 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)