Show ContentsMounsey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Mounsey reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Mounsey 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 Mounsey family

The surname Mounsey 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 Mounsey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mounsey 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 Mounsey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mounsey Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Mounsey include Mounsey, Mounsie, Mouncie, Mouncey, Mouncy, Muncey, Muncie, Mounceaus, Monceaux, Monceux, Monse and many more.

Early Notables of the Mounsey family

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


Mounsey migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Mounseys to arrive on North American shores:

Mounsey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Mounsey, who settled in New York in 1791
  • Thomas Mounsey, who arrived in New York in 1792 7
Mounsey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Mounsey, who settled in Baltimore in 1831

Mounsey 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:

Mounsey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • R. Mounsey, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" in 1860
  • Mr. Robert Mounsey, British settler travelling from Liverpool (Mersey) aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand then Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in 1860 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Mounsey (post 1700) +

  • Rob Mounsey (b. 1952), American award-winning composer

Empress of Ireland
  • Mrs. Fannie Mounsey (1857-1914), née Sewll American Second Class Passenger from Chicago, Illinois, United States who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 9
Mount Mulligan Mine
  • George Mounsey, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. William Edgar Mounsey, American 2nd Class passenger from Chicago, Illinois, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 10


The Mounsey 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.


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. 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)
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  7. 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)
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  10. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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