| ![Show Contents]() Cunnington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland Etymology of CunningtonWhat does the name Cunnington mean? The name Cunnington was first used in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It indicates that the first bearer lived at Cunningham in Ayrshire. However, numerous branches of the Cunningham family spread all over Scotland. Two of the most prominent branches of the Cunningham Clan, the Cunninghams of Corsehill and the Cunninghams of Caprington, trace their ancestry back to the medieval era. Cunnington Coat of Arms CreationThe Cuninghames have as their crest a unicorn, and the motto is, " Over fork over." The unicorn is so named from its having only one horn, which grows out of its forehead. It represents strength, a haughty mind, and one who would rather die than be brought into subjection. The horn was said to possess a powerful antidote against poison, and that other animals were glad to drink of water stirred by the horn. As to the motto, the story is that Malcolm, the first of the family, assisted Malcolm (afterwards King Malcolm Canmore) to escape when pursued by Macbeth, by forking straw or hay over him. The King afterwards rewarded him by the gift of the Thanedom of Cuninghame, and the figure on the shield like the letter Y represents the shake-fork. The other story is that the motto is derived from the fact that an ancestor had charge of the King's horses, and the shakefork was the instrument by which hay was forked to them. 1 Early Origins of the Cunnington familyThe surname Cunnington was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire. About the year 1050, it is said that Warnebald Cunningham saved King Malcolm Canmore by hiding him in the barn and covering him with hay concealing him from his pursuer the Pretender King, MacBeth. The grateful King Malcolm later bestowed on Warnebald the lands of Cunningham and the motto "Over Fork Over." 2 Early History of the Cunnington familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cunnington research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1490, 1520, 1548, 1574, 1575, 1578, 1610, 1630, 1664, 1670, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cunnington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Cunnington Spelling VariationsMedieval spelling was at best an intuitive process, and translation between Gaelic and English was no more effective. These factors caused an enormous number of spelling variations in Dalriadan names. In fact, it was not uncommon to see a father and son who spelled their name differently. Over the years, Cunnington has been spelled Cunningham, Cunninghame, Cunyngham, Cunnyngham, Cunnynghame, Cummingham and many more. Early Notables of the Cunnington familyNotable amongst the Clan at this time was Cuthbert Cunningham, 3rd Earl of Glencairn; William Cunningham, 4th Earl of Glencairn (c. 1490-1548), a Scottish nobleman; Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn (died 1574), Scottish nobleman and Protestant reformer; William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn (ca. 1520-1578); James Cunningham, 7th Earl of...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cunnington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Cunnington family to IrelandSome of the Cunnington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Cunnington migration to the United States | + |
Many of the ancestors of Dalriadan families who arrived in North America still live in communities along the east coast of Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence many of the original settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the ancestors of many Scots began recovering their collective national heritage through Clan societies, highland games, and other patriotic events. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cunnington or a variant listed above:
Cunnington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Michael Cunnington, who arrived in New York in 1832 3
| Cunnington 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: Cunnington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- John Cunnington, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
- Ann Cunnington, aged 29, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oxford" in 1874
| Contemporary Notables of the name Cunnington (post 1700) | + |
- Eddie Cunnington (b. 1969), Scottish former association footballer
- Edward Benjamin Howard Cunnington (1861-1950), British archaeologist, known for his work on prehistoric Wiltshire
- Maud Edith Cunnington (1869-1951), Welsh archaeologist, best known for her work work on the Salisbury Plain which includes Stonehenge
- Shaun Cunnington (b. 1966), English former professional footballer
- Ben Cunnington (b. 1991), Australian rules footballer
- Adam Paul Cunnington (b. 1987), English footballer
| Historic Events for the Cunnington family | + |
- Mr. Alan Leonard Fyffe Cunnington (1913-1941), Australian Ordnance Artificer 4th Class from West Brunswick, Victoria, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 4
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: Over fork over
- Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
- Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. 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)
- HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
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