Show ContentsHingston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hingston is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in the village of Hinxton in the county of Cambridgeshire. This village dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Hestitone. 1 Years later, the village would be known as Hengstiton in 1202 and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Hengest," from the Old English personal name + "ing" + "tun." 2

Early Origins of the Hingston family

The surname Hingston was first found in Cambridgeshire, where evidence suggests they held a family seat before the Norman Conquest. Today Hingston Down is a hill near Gunnislake, Cornwall, and Hingston Down is a hill spur in Devon.

A scan over early rolls revealed John de Hyngeston in 1343 in the London Assize Rolls of Nuisance (1301-1431). 3

Early History of the Hingston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hingston research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1612, 1642, 1661, 1662, 1663, 1664, 1666, 1683, 1721, 1775 and 1783 are included under the topic Early Hingston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hingston Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Hingston has been spelled many different ways, including Hingston, Hinkston, Hinkson, Hingeston, Hingson and others.

Early Notables of the Hingston family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • John Hingston (1612-1683), English composer, organist and viol player in the service of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, King Charles II and mentor to his 14-year-old godson, Henry Purcell

Ireland Migration of the Hingston family to Ireland

Some of the Hingston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Hingston migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Hingstons to arrive in North America:

Hingston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mary Hingston, who landed in New York, NY in 1837 4

Canada Hingston migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hingston Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. William Hingston U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5

Australia Hingston migration to Australia +

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

Hingston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Emily Hingston, (b. 1846), aged 19, Cornish nursemaid departing from Liverpool on 11th July 1865 aboard the ship "Duke of Newcastle" arriving in Hobsons Bay, Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 20th October 1865 6

New Zealand Hingston 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:

Hingston Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Hingston, who landed in Wairoa, Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mr. Andrew Hingston, (b. 1848), aged 30, Cornish farm labourer departing on 29th October 1878 aboard the ship "Western Monarch" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 26th February 1879 7
  • Mrs. Annie Hingston, (b. 1856), aged 22, Cornish settler departing on 29th October 1878 aboard the ship "Western Monarch" going to Bluff or Otago, New Zealand arriving in port on 26th February 1879 7
  • Mr. Andrew Hingston, (b. 1848), aged 30, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 8
  • Mrs. Annie Hingston, (b. 1858), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Western Monarch" arriving in New Zealand in 1879 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Hingston (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Hingston MD (1799-1837), English antiquarian of Truro, third son of John Hingston, clerk in the custom house, and Margaret his wife, baptised at St. Ives, Cornwall, on 9 May 1799 9
  • Major Richard William George Hingston (1887-1966), Irish Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, physician, explorer and naturalist
  • Dick Hingston (1915-1999), Australian rules footballer
  • Sir William Hales Hingston KCB (1829-1907), Canadian physician, politician, banker, and Senator

HMS Royal Oak
  • Eric Hingston (d. 1939), British Leading Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 10


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. 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)
  5. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  6. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  7. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  10. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html


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