The ancient history of the Idney name begins with the ancient
Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the village of Gedney in the county of
Lincolnshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English
Gyddan-ea, which literally means
Gydda's island. Another source notes the place name probably means "island or well-watered land of a man called Gaeda or Gydda," from the Old English
personal name.
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)Early Origins of the Idney family
The surname Idney was first found in
Lincolnshire at Gedney, a village and civil parish in the South Holland district that dates back to the
Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Gadenai.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) "The church [of Gedney] is a beautiful structure, supposed to have been built by the abbots of Crowland, who had large possessions in the parish; it contains 53 windows, those of the north aisle having considerable remains of painted glass." [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Today the parish includes the hamlets of Gedney Drove End, Gedney Dyke, Gedney Dawsmere, and Gedney Marsh.
One of the first records of the family was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where Hervey de Gedeney was listed in Lincolnshire. [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Idney family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Idney research.
Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1698 and are included under the topic Early Idney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Idney 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 Idney include Gidney, Gibney, Gedney, Gibbney and others.
Early Notables of the Idney family (pre 1700)
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Idney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Idney family to Ireland
Some of the Idney family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Idney family to the New World and Oceana
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Idney or a variant listed above: Martha Gibeney who settled in Charleston in 1772; Bridget Gibney settled in New York State in 1845 with her husband; James, Lawrence, Michael, Thomas, and William Gibney all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.