Codrington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Codrington dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in one of the various settlements called Coddington in the counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, and Nottinghamshire. Thus, the surname Codrington belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Codrington family

The surname Codrington was first found in Gloucestershire at Codrington, which dates back to at least the 12th century when it was listed as Cuderintuna and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Cuthhere" derived from the Old English personal name + ing + tun. 1 Another reference further breaks down the name Cuthhere or Cuohere as a personal name composed of the elements "cuo" meaning famous or well-known + "here," meaning army. 2

Early History of the Codrington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Codrington research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1619, 1626, 1665, 1668, 1691 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Codrington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Codrington Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Codrington have been found, including Codrington, Coddrington, Codrinton, Coddrinton and others.

Early Notables of the Codrington family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Christopher Codrington (1668-1710), British soldier, slaver, bibliophile and colonial governor who upon his death bequeathed his slave plantations to found Codrington College, St. John, Barbados. Born...
Robert Codrington (d. 1665), was an English author, born 'of an ancient and genteel family in Gloucestershire,' was elected a demy of Magdalen College, Oxford, 29 July 1619, at the age of seventeen, a...
Thomas Codrington (died 1691?) was an English Roman Catholic theologian, known for attempting to introduce the "Institute of Secular Priests Living in Community", founded in Bavaria by Bartholomaus Ho...

Codrington migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Codrington, or a variant listed above:

Codrington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Simon Codrington, who arrived in Virginia in 1615 3

Codrington 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. 4

Codrington Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Robert Codrington, who settled in Barbados with his wife and daughter in 1678
Lieutenant Codrington also settled in Barbados in 1679 but moved to the mainland soon after

Contemporary Notables of the name Codrington (post 1700) +

Jaidon "The Don" Codrington (b. 1984), American Light Heavyweight professional boxer
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry John Codrington (1808-1877), English naval commander, third son of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington 5
Sir Edward Codrington (1770-1851), English naval commander, hero of the Battle of Trafalgar and the Battle of Navarino, from the old family of Codrington of Dodington in Gloucestershire 5
Sir Giles Peter Codrington (b. 1943), 9th Baronet of Dodington, English peer
Sir William Alexander Codrington (1934-2006), 8th Baronet of Dodington, English peer
Sir William Richard Codrington (1904-1961), 7th Baronet of Dodington, English peer
Sir William Robert Codrington (1867-1932), 6th Baronet of Dodington, English peer
Sir William Mary Joseph Codrington (1829-1904), 5th Baronet of Dodington, English peer
Sir William Raimond Codrington (1805-1873), 4th Baronet of Dodington, English peer
Sir William Codrington (1737-1816), 3rd Baronet of Dodington, English peer
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Codrington Motto +

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: Immersabillis est vera virtus
Motto Translation: True virtue cannot be conquered.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
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)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020