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Mouncey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Mouncey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Mouncey was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Mouncey family lived in Monceaux, Normandy. "The 'Sire de Monceals' of the Roman de Ron. He 'descended from the ancient lords of Maers and Monceaux, Counts of Nevers. Landric IV. became Count of Nevers c. 990 by marriage, and had a younger son Landric of Nevers, Baron of Monceaux, grandfather of William de Monceaux, who is mentioned by Wace in 1066. He appears as William de Moncellis in the Eastern Domesday, and as William de Nevers in Norfolk 1086. 1 His descendants occur in Sussex, but chiefly in Yorkshire and Lincoln.' " 2

"There are several communes of this name in Normandy; but Monceaux, near Bayeux, is probably the one meant. This name is frequently to be found in the earlier muniments of Battle Abbey; for a branch of the family, soon after the Conquest, settled at Bodiham, in its immediate neighbourhood. Part of his estate there was granted by William de Monceaux to the Abbey, at some date previous to 1200. " 3

Early Origins of the Mouncey family

The surname Mouncey was first found in Sussex where they held a family seat as lords of the manor of Herstmonceux. They were descended from the ancient Lords of Maers and Monceaux, Counts of Nevers in Normandy. They were granted lands in Sussex and those branches, retaining the name Monceaux became the Lords of Monson, the Viscounts Castlemaine, and the Lords Sondes.

The first record of the family was "Drogo de Moncy [who] came to England 1066, and was in Palestine 1096. Drogo de Moncy, his son, had a pardon in Sussex 1130. In 1299 Walter de Moncy was summoned to Parliament as a baron." 2

"The Moncys held Thornton of the Percy fee in Yorkshire. 'Walter de Muncy, 28 Edward I. had a charter for free-warren in his demesne lands at Thornton juxta Skipton, Everby, and Kelbroke in the co. of York. From the frequency of his name in the writs of summons of his time, he must have been a person of great eminence. In 29 Edward I, he was one of those barons Avho, in the parliament at Lincoln, subscribed that memorable letter which was addressed to the Pope,asserting the King's supremacy over the realm of Scotland; on which occasion he was denominated Dominus de Thornton." 4

Another branch moved north into Cumberland soon after the Conquest: Hammond Monceaux was Sheriff of Cumberland in 1290, and it is there that the Mounsey branch is thought to have arisen.

In Lincolnshire, Edonea de Munchaus was listed as a Knights Templar in 1185 and a few years later, William Munci was listed in the Feet of Fines for Gloucestershire in 1198. 5

Later, Walter de Muncy, 1st Baron Muncy (d. c. 1309), was summoned to Parliament and was accordingly granted a peerage on 6 February 1299. This gentleman may be the same person referenced at Thornton in the West Riding of Yorkshire in early times. "This place in the reign of Edward I. belonged to Walter de Muncey, who obtained from that monarch the grant of a weekly market, and a fair on the festival of St. Thomas the Martyr and four following days." 6

Early History of the Mouncey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mouncey research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1291, 1296, 1377, 1395, 1686, 1693, 1714, 1723 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Mouncey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mouncey Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Mounsey, Mounsie, Mouncie, Mouncey, Mouncy, Muncey, Muncie, Mounceaus, Monceaux, Monceux, Monse and many more.

Early Notables of the Mouncey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Messenger Monsey (1693-1788), physician, born in 1693, was eldest son of Robert Monsey, some time rector of Bawdeswell, Norfolk, but ejected as a nonjuror, and his wife Mary, daughter of the Rev. Roger Clopton. (The family of Monsey or Mounsey is supposed to be derived from the Norman house of De Monceaux.) Monsey was educated at home, and afterwards at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1714. He studied medicine at Norwich under Sir Benjamin Wrench, and was admitted extra licentiate of...
Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mouncey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mouncey migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Mouncey or a variant listed above:

Mouncey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Margaret Mouncey, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1697

Mouncey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Mouncey, who settled in America in 1721

Mouncey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Isaac Mouncey, who landed in New York in 1836 7

Mouncey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Mouncey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert Mouncey, who arrived in Quebec in 1820

The Mouncey Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Semper paratus
Motto Translation: Always prepared.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 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)