The Anglo-Saxon name McAdow comes from the family having resided in the settlement of Concliff in the county of Lancashire. The surname McAdow 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 McAdow was first found in Lancashire where Nicholas le Cumbecliue was first listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246. [1] The name traces back to Cundcliff, now known as Cunliffe Hill, in the township of Billington, near Blackburn in Lancashire. [2] The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 - 1276 list Robert de Cundeclif in Yorkshire. [1] [2]
A few years later Adam de Cunliffe was listed in Yorkshire 1317-1318. [2] The Register of Freemen of the City of York in 1411 lists Thomas Cunclyff. [1]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAdow research. Another 284 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1611, 1750, 1790, 1820 and 1871 are included under the topic Early McAdow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
McAdow has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Cunliffe, Cuncliffe, Concliffe, Conliffe, Cunlife, Conlife, Cunliff, Conliff and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early McAdow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first McAdows to arrive on North American shores: 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.