On this page: The Name Renwick; The RenwickName in our Family Tree; The Source of the Name Renwock
Latest update: Saturday, November 19, 2011
THE NAME RENWICK
"The name Renwick is of Anglo-Saxon origin and it’s believed that it came from the family that lived in the region of
Renwick beside the Eden River in Cumberland England. Professional researchers have established that the first record of the
surname Renwick was in Cumberland where they lived from early times The first records of the Renwick surname appeared
on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain.
"The history of the Anglo-Saxons provides a valuable background for the history of the Renwick family. The family name
Renwick is one of the most notable of the Anglo/Saxon race. This founding race of England, a fair skinned people led by the
Saxon General/Commanders Hengist and Horsa, settled in Kent from about the year 400 A.D. .The Saxons were a Teutonic
tribe of people originally from Germany.
"During the Dark Ages, the Renwick clan was prominent in Cumberland and was recorded as a family of great antiquity,
being Lords of the manor in that county in 1266. Originally called Ravenswick, the name later became Renwick, a barony on
the east side of the Eden River. Renwick is a topographic surname that is given to a person who resided near a physical
feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree."
"In pronouncing Renwick, (in the British Isles) the “w” is silent, and by the time the Scotch Irish Renicks came to America
in the early 1700's, the "w" had already been dropped. Some Renwicks who came directly from Scotland retained the spelling
of Renwick, at least in the beginning. Some immigrants from Ireland in the 1800’s were spelling the name Rennick."
THE RENWICK NAME IN OUR FAMILY TREE
(Renwick in the Family Tree Database)
The name Renwick is specific to the William EDGAR branch of Adam EDGAR's family tree. To date there are fourteen (14)
family members with the name Renwick in William EDGAR's family tree; they are in two (2) branches, related by marriage.
There are seven (7) Renwicks in the Adam EDGAR - William EDGAR branch.
EDGAR Adam Renwick, b.1832, grandson of William EDGAR (William, Robert)
EDGAR James Renwick, b. 1856, great grandson of William EDGAR (William, Alexander John, William Morrison)
EDGAR Robert Renwick, b.1857, great grandson of William EDGAR (William, Robert, James)
PIPER James Renwick, b. 1869, great grandson of Margaret EDGAR (Margaret Jane, David LITTLE, Margaret LITTLE)
DONNELLY Calvin William Renwick, b. 1901, 2X great grandson of William EDGAR (William, Robert, James, Effie Estelle)
EDGAR Roger Renwick, b. ? , 3X great grandson of William EDGAR (William, Robert, James, Robert Renwick, Paul Hyland)
EDGAR William Renwick, b. 1951, 4X great grandson of William EDGAR (William, Robert, James, Robert Renwick, Paul
Hyland, Robert Louis)
The TORRENs branch of William EDGAR's tree brings seven (6) Renwick names from two branches, the TORRENS (2) and
the CARSONs (4).
Robert Renwick EDGAR, great grandson of William EDGAR married Annie Rebecca TORRENS, granddaughter of Francis
TORRENS; Francis TORRENS, b. 1786 in IRELAND, had three sons --
Joseph, b. 1808
John, b. 1819
Francis, b.1824
-- and they have two (2) heirs named Renwick.
Joseph: CATHCART Joseph Renwick, b. 1884, great grandson of Francis TORRENS 1786 (Francis, Joseph, Esther)
Esther R. TORRENS married Robert Thomas CATHCART; his brother was Renwick CATHCART.
John: TORRENS John Renwick, b. 1857, grandson of Francis TORRENS 1786 (Francis, John)
Francis b. 1824: TORRENS Annie Rebecca, b. 1862 (Francis, Francis) who married Robert Renwick EDGAR.
So, son Francis TORRENS brought the Renwick name into his branch of William EDGAR's family tree, and Francis TORREN's
wife Mary Jane BOYD, also brought the name Renwick through her mother Nancy Ann CARSON BOYD.
CARSON, b. about 1740 in IRELAND, had two (2) sons --
Thomas, b. 1765 in IRELAND
William, b. 1767 in IRELAND
-- and they had four (4) heirs with the name Renwick.
Thomas: McCLAY James Renwick, b. 1866, 2X great grandson of CARSON (CARSON, Thomas, John, Eliza Ann)
William: CARSON James Renwick, b. 1875, 2X great grandson of CARSON (CARSON, William, John, Thomas)
Thomas: McCLOY James Renwick Sloane, b. 1876, 2X great grandson of CARSON (CARSON, Thomas, John, Jane)
Thomas: JACKSON James Renwick Jackson, b. 1892, 2X great grandson of CARSON (CARSON, Thomas, William,
Margaret)
Thomas: CARSON Nancy Ann, b. 1804, (CARSON, Thomas) married BOYD John and their daughter BOYD Mary Jane
married TORREN Francis, b. 1824
So Roger Renwick EDGAR can claim Renwick from three branches of his family tree - EDGAR, TORRENS, and CARSON.
EDGAR: William, Robert, James, Robert Renwick, Paul Hyland
TORRENS: Francis, Francis, Annie Rebecca, Paul Hyland EDGAR
CARSON: CARSON, Thomas, Nancy Ann CARSON BOYD, Mary Jane BOYD TORRENS, Annie Rebecca TORRENS EDGAR
SOURCES OF THE NAME RENWICK
Although, to date, there are no family stories explaining the use of the name Renwick, it is easy to extrapolate the middle
name Renwick was chosen in honor of the Rev. James RENWICK and/or the Rev. John RENWICK, both well-documented and
historically-important clergymen in the Covenanter movement in SCOTLAND and IRELAND, which evolved into the Reformed
Presbyterian Church in AMERICA. The Adam EDGAR family, the TORRENS family, and the CARSON family all found their
roots in IRELAND / SCOTLAND and in the Covenanter Presbyterian religion.
* The Rev. "James Renwick was a stalwart of the United Societies and the last minister to be a martyr. He was born on 15
February 1662 in Knees Cottage, the village of Moniave, in the parish of Glencairn, Dumfriesshire.... He was one of four
trainee ministers selected by the United Societies to go to Holland (Renwick, John Nisbet, John Flint and William Boyd), to
complete their education before taking up the ministry. [Note: The surnames NISBET and BOYD are also active in the RPC
and in our Family Tree.]... James Renwick issued his “Apologetical Declaration and Admonitory Vindication against
Intelligencers and Informers” on 28 October 1684 defending his creed and supporters against many slanders that had been
made, and threatening death to spies and collaborators. The declaration was posted by fixing on church doors. The response
from the government was a particularly odious Abjuration Oath, which... enabled any person refusing “on demand” to swear it,
to be put to death on the spot in the presence of two witnesses... So began 'The Killing Time.' ...Renwick and two companions,
John McMillan and David Ferguson, [Note: The surname McMILLAN is also active in the RPC and in our Family Tree.]... Thus
on 17 February 1688, just three days after his twenty sixth birthday, he was executed in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh. His head
and hands were affixed above the Netherbow Gate alongside other Martyrs of the Covenant." The Information's Biography of
Additional sources:
Next1000
The Life of Rev. James Renwick by Robert Simpson
Covenanter Martyrs @ The Green Castle Museum
The Rev. John RENWICK, a Covenanter Minister, is said to have been descended from the Rev. James RENWICK. Rev.
John was born 1735 in Ireland, died 1775 and is buried in Cannons Creek A. R. P. Church Cemetery in Newberry County,
SOUTH CAROLINA. Rev. John came with some of his congregation to SOUTH CAROLINA in 1771, not long before Rev.
William MARTIN of Ballymoney, Ireland, came with a colony of his people in 1772, settled along the Rocky Creek, and helped
found the Rocky Creek Reformed Presbyterian Church.
Additional sources:
Newberry County, South Carolina: Historical and Genealogical Annals by George Leland Summer
@ Google.Books.com, page 377
The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church