Jack Mingay’s Research – Part 2

• Mingay History Part 2

2.1. In the early days a person with one name by spelling and married with another, and buried with another, all three spellings relating to the same person. I found in 1997 that a lot of the Mingays up to 1800 were still spelling the surname different to their parents. Sometimes preferences for different spelling variations, either came from division of the family, or sometimes for religious, or for nationalistic reasons.

2.2. These are some of the Surnames, as recorded at Norwich Archives, up to the late 1700. Mingie. Mingee. Mingey. Mongge. Mingy. Minge. Mungee. Mingye. Mingary. In 1367 at Norwich one was spelt Mingo, a freeman who was a Mingay because when the Scribe went round, or a visitation family, gave this information, about the Mingay Coat-of—Arms, which bore Or on a bend as Three Leopards faces of the first, possibly from the Coat—of—Arms, of Adam De Mingee (Henry 3^rd Poll)

2.3. As the Vikings were recorded as invading the Hebrides, and the North of Scotland about 870 AD under their King Sturgud The Stout, and on the assumption that the researchers were right, I decided to look in the Hebrides and found some places of interest. North West of the Isle of Skye, is Mingay Isle (which I have a photo of) Minginish on the Isle of Skye. Mingary on South Uist, the birth-place of Flora Macdonald, also where the statue of Madonna and child, 30 ft high was carved out by Hew Lorimer, now in 1998 just a tumble of stones near Mingary Park.

2.4. They say that the Surname Mingay emerged as a notable Scottish family name in the County of Midlothian, where Robert Menieres (or Menzies) was a Norman from Mesnies in Normandy, who moved North after the Battle of Hastings. The Mingays were granted lands by King Malcolm 3^rd Canmore King of Scotland, 1057 to 1093. In a book of Surnames from the early years they gave Menzies as being pronounced as Mingie.

The seniors were the Dukes of Rutland in England 1090,they moved north again to the Highlands, and acquired the lands Culdares, in Glen Lyon Perthshire. Sir Robert Meynezs was the first Chief of the Clan, and built Menzies Castle, which is still standing, but not owned by the Menzies. The most ancient Coat-of-Arms of the Clan found was, a red stripe across the top, the Crest was a Savages Head, the ancient family motto for this distinguished name was. “With God I sail”.

It was only about 200 years after landing in the Hebrides that the Mingay’s were given lands in the Midlotian area, South of Edinburgh, where the name of Mingay emerged as a Notable Scottish family name. The History of the name is finely interwoven within the tapestry of Scottish Tartans, dominating the panorama of the History of Scotland, or so they want us to believe.

The Duke William who invaded England in 1066 was descended from the first Duke of Normandy who was Rollo. It was Rollo who called that part of France Normandy, this if true it would point to the suggestion that they were more likely to be Vikings, than from the Norman race. Although they were thought to be mostly in Scotland, by an earlier invasion of the Scottish Islands.

It was around 1070, long after the first Mingay sighting the Norman in the North of England, were in rebellion. So William took an army North and laid waste to most of the Northern Counties. Some of the Nobles then escaped to Scotland, where King Malcolm Canmore of Scotland, invited many of the displaced Nobles to his Court and granted them lands. This was long after the Mingay’s were supposed to have arrived. Malcolm was King 1057 to 1093, fell out with these Nobles, and sent them back home.

David Canmore born I084, was Malcolm’s youngest son, who about 1130 became Earl of Huntingdon, heir to the Scottish throne. Later to become King David 1st, he reigned 1124 to 1153. He also offered lands to his Norman friends in England, particularly in Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, where the Mingays settled, and became part of the History of Norfolk, Norwich and Thetford up to the late 1800’s. Shotesham seemed to be the first place to be mentioned in the late 1300, then Arminghall near Norwich, in the1500s.

Pevershall, and Cambridge, is where a lot of the sons were educated. lt could be that King David also went to Cambridge, and this is how he got to know the Mingay’s. It was recorded that a daughter of Malcolm married a Mingay, this could have been Mary, also the daughter of David 1^st, who married Henry De Hastings. This would have been Ada.

As the Church and the Crown owned most of the property, I could not find any of the Mingays owning it because; if they pleased the Royals they would grant them land, then if they disapproved, for some reason they could take it back.

The earliest I could find of a Mingay buying property was William Myngay, born 1520 at Shotesham Norfolk. The dissolution of the Monasteries had taken place in the 1530s and within a comparative short time their lands appeared on sale on the open market. At his death in 1564 he had enhanced the family fortunes, to such a degree, that he owned Manors in both Norfolk and Suffolk.