Massey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Massey arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Massey family lived in Cheshire. Their name, however, is a reference to their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Macey in Manche, Normandy. [1]

Early Origins of the Massey family

The surname Massey was first found in Cheshire where the one of the first records of the name was “Hugh Massie, who married Agnes, daughter and heir of Nicholas Bold, of Coddington. Their son William purchased the manor of Coddington in the eighteenth of Henry VI.” [2]

A branch of the family held a family seat at Backford since early times. “During a great part of the 13th and 14th centuries, the manor [of Backford] was held by the Masseys, of Timperley; about the year 1580 it was sold to Thomas Aldersey.” [3]

Birkenhead in Cheshire was another ancient family seat. “A priory for sixteen Benedictine monks was founded [in Birkenhead] about 1150, in honour of St. Mary and St. James, by Hamon de Massey, third Baron of Dunham-Massey.” [3]

Little is known of Hamon de Massey other than he held manors of Agden, Baguley, Bowdon, Dunham, Hale and Little Bollington. He is thought to have born in La Ferté-Macé, in the Orne department in north-western France.

Early History of the Massey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Massey research.

Massey Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person’s name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Massey, Massie, Macy, Macey and others.

Early Notables of the Massey family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Edward Massey (c. 1619-1674), fifth son of John Massey of Coddington, an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1646 and 1674, he fought for the Parliamentary cause the First and Second English Civil Wars before changing allegiance and fighting for King Charles II during Third Civil War. Eyre Massey, 1st Baron Clarina (1719-1804), the Irish general, born on 24 May 1719, was fifth son of Colonel Hugh Massey of Duntryleague, co. Limerick, and his wife Elizabeth, fourth daughter of the Right Hon. George Evans.

Massey Ranking

In the United States, the name Massey is the 469^th most popular surname with an estimated 59,688 people with that name. [4] However, in the United Kingdom, the name Massey is ranked the 577^th most popular surname with an estimated 11,333 people with that name. [5]

 Migration of the Massey family to Ireland

Some of the Massey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Massey migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Massey or a variant listed above were: 

Massey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Jeffrey Massey who settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1620
• Jeffrey Massey who settled in Plymouth in 1629
• Jeffrey Massey, who settled in Salem in 1630
• Jeffrey Massey, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1634 [6]
• Edward Massey, who settled in Virginia in 1634

Massey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• William Massey, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 [6]
• Sarah Massey, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1710-1711 [6]
• Anne Massey, who landed in Virginia in 1714 [6]
• Leigh Massey, who landed in Maryland in 1722 [6]
• Lee Massey, who arrived in Virginia in 1766 [6]

Massey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Mathew Massey, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 [6]
• John Massey, who arrived in Texas in 1830 [6]
• James Massey, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1854 [6]

 Massey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Massey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• Mr. Jonathan Massey U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 271 aboard the ship “HMS Clinton”, picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA [7]
• Mrs. Ann Massey U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 318 aboard the ship “HMS Clinton”, picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA [7]
• Mr. William Massey U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 280 aboard the ship “HMS Clinton”, picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA [7]

Massey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Daniel Massey, who arrived in Canada in 1836
• Isaiah Frederic Massey, who arrived in Canada in 1840
• Ms. Ann Massey who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship “Ninian” departing 13th April 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but she died on board [8]
• Mr. William Massey, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship “Ninian” departing 13th April 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 12th June 1847 but he died on board [8]

 Massey migration to Australia+

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: 

Massey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Miss Mary Massey, (b. 1770), aged 48, Irish convict who was convicted in Kildare, Irelandfor 7 years for house robbery, transported aboard the “Elizabeth” on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [9]
• Mr. George Massey, (b. 1799), aged 32, English farmer who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the “Exmouth” on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1836 [10]
• Mr. George Massey, (b. 1811), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the “Bengal Merchant” on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1835 [11]
• Mr. John Massey, British Convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for life, transported aboard the “Asia” on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen’sLand)1836 [12]
• Mr. John Massey, (b. 1812), aged 25, English convict who was convicted in London, Englandfor life, transported aboard the “Emma Eugenia” on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [13]

 Massey 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: 

Massey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Mr. Massey, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship “Earl of Lonsdale” arriving in Bay of Islands, North Island, New Zealand on 11th April 1841 [14]
• Mr. James Massey, (b. 1802), aged 45, British settler born in England arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship “Sir George Symour” arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 [15]
• Mrs. Mary Ann Massey née Washington, (b. 1805), aged 42, British settler born in Englandtravelling from Gravesend aboard the ship “Sir George Symour” arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 [15]
• Miss Mary Ann Massey, (b. 1830), aged 17, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship “Sir George Symour” arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 [15]
• Miss Rebecca Massey, (b. 1832), aged 15, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship “Sir George Symour” arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 [15]

 Massey migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960’s many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [16]

Massey Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

• Thomas Massey, who settled in Barbados in 1668

Contemporary Notables of the name Massey (post 1700) +

• Jimmy Massey (1929-2015), American NASCAR Grand National driver who competed in 51 races from 1955 to 1964
• Lawrence “Lew” Massey (1956-2014), American professional NBA basketball player
• Brigadier-General Clyde Massey (1902-1990), American Chief Quartermaster, Army Forces Western Pacific (1945-1946) [17]
• Edith Massey (1918-1984), American actress and singer
• James Lee Massey (1934-2013), American information theorist and cryptographer, Professor Emeritus of Digital Technology at ETH Zurich
• Ilona Massey (1910-1974), American film, stage and radio performer
• Athena Massey (b. 1971), American television and film actress [18]
• David Massey, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Kentucky State House of Representatives 83rd District, 1975 [19]
• C. E. Massey, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1924 [19]
• Benjamin Franklin Massey (1811-1879), American politician, Delegate to Missouri State Constitutional Convention 22nd District, 1845-46; Secretary of State of Missouri, 1857-61