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The name Manwaring is derived from
"the manor of Warin" and is distinctly Norman.
The second half of
the name is Warin or Guarin, a once common font - name, introduced by
the Normans into England.
The reputed, founder of the family in England was one Ranulphus de Mesnilwarin, who came
over in the train of William the Conqueror in 1066 and for his services received 15
lordships in Cheshire.
It is said that this name can be found spelt in no less than 131 different ways.
Earlier references to the name is as follows -
- Robert de Meynwareing - County Derby, 1273
- Thomas de Meynnegaryn -County Norfolk, 1273
- Baptism, Ann, daughter of Allen
Manwaring- St. James
:Clerkenwell, 1663
- Baptism, Elizabeth - daughter of Doctor Mannering, 1669
Peover Hall, near Knutsford, Cheshire is an ivy covered, manor house and had been the home
of the Manwaring Family for 800 years and had passed to the Peels of Knutsford when the
Manwarings died out. In the chapel a placque reads-
"To the Glory of God and the
Honour of the Manwaring Family."
No less than 10 husbands and wives and 18 of their children are portrayed in stone. The
oldest dating back to the 15th Century (1456) is of the patriarch of the family, Randle
Mainwaring.
Celebrated Antiquary,
Dudale,
was employed in 1669 by Sir Thomas Mainwaring of Peover to collect
and copy all the variations of the family
name. These are contained in the chartularium at Peover Hall and lists 131
variations. Some of these are -
-
-DeMensnilwaringo
-
-Mainwaring
-
-Mesnilgarin
-
-Manwaring
-
-Maynwareing
-
-Meynwarin
-
-Manring
-
-Meidenwarin
-
-Menilwarin
-
-Mesnilwarin
-
-Mannering
In the Church of St Mary the Virgin at Acton in Cheshire, there is a marble effigy of Sir
William Manwaring lying atop his burial casket, portrayed in his armour in a chapel called
the Lady Chapel.
Another reference to the name Manwaring is in the history of England itself. King Charles
I who ruled England from 1625-1649 had proceeded to forced Taxation, imprisioning those
who refused to pay. Roger Manwaring (1590 - 1653), a royal chaplain, argued that as the
King ruled as God's representative, those who refused taxes imposed by him were in peril
of damnation. Parliament condemned Manwaring in 1628, to fine and
imprisionment, but
Charles protected him by pardon and rewarded him by ecclesiastical advancement, ultimately
by a bishopric.
A very interesting book to read is "The Life and Works of Sir Henry Mainwaring",
which details his life from birth in 1587, through his escapades as a pirate,
his sea adventures against the French and Spanish, his knighting in 1618 by James I, his
appointment as Rear Admiral in 1637, until his death in 1653.
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