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![Show Contents]() Kaniston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Wales
The forbears of the name Kaniston once lived in or near some now-lost place called Kynaston, which experts agree was probably in the English border county of Shropshire. The surname Kaniston belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Early Origins of the Kaniston familyThe surname Kaniston was first found in Shropshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kinnerly, some say before the Norman Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy in 1066. Conjecturally they are descended from the Princes of Powys in Wales, through Griffith, son of Joerweth Goch, Lord of Mochnan, younger son of Meredith, Prince of Powis who took refuge in Shropshire. King Henry III of England gave him lands in that county. He married Matilda, the heiress of Ralph le Strange by whom he acquired the Manor of Kinnerly. Griffith' son, Griffith Vychan settled at Tre-gynvarth, which, when anglicized, is Kynvarth's Town, which, when spoken, became slurred into Kynastown, or Kynaston. Early History of the Kaniston familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kaniston research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1433, 1459, 1491, 1495, 1516, 1534, 1554, 1564, 1587, 1590, 1621, 1622, 1640, 1642 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Kaniston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Kaniston Spelling VariationsThe Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. The earliest explanation for the preponderance of spelling variations is that when Welsh surnames were in Welsh and accordingly were difficult to translate into English. It was therefore up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Kaniston have included Kynaston, Kynerston, Kinnaston, Kinaston, Keniston, Kennison, Kenison and many more. Early Notables of the Kaniston familyProminent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Francis Kynaston (1516-1590), an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Shropshire in April 1554; Sir Francis Kynaston or Kinaston (1587-1642), an English lawyer, courtier, poet and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 to 1622...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kaniston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Kaniston familyDuring the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Kaniston: Allen Keniston, who sailed to Virginia in 1624; Richard Keniston to Virginia in 1655; and Mary Kynaston, who landed in America in 1769.
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