Contents [hide]

Byng History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Byng History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Byng family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living by an open manger or stall. It derived from the Old English name Binningas, which was a name for someone who lived near stables. Alternatively the name could have been derived from "byng" and meant "dweller by the hollow." 1

Another source has a different origin of the name: "from the occurrence of such compounds as Bingley, Bingham, Bingfield, in names of places, it is highly probable that Bing, or Byng, was an ancient personal name. " 2

And another believes the name was actually a Norman name "from Binge-Gerault, Normandy, [which is] mentioned in a charter of King John to Henry de Ferrers. In 1191 Robert de Binga witnessed a charter of Henry, Bishop of Bayeux, executed at Rouen. From this Norman family descended the Viscounts Torrington, and the celebrated Sir John Byng, General in the Peninsular War, and Earl of Strafford. " 3

Early Origins of the Byng family

The surname Byng was first found in Kent, where the family "held property in Wrotham in the time of Elizabeth, and one of this family was sheriff of Kent in the same reign. In the time of James I. the Bings also owned property in Tunbridge, where the name still remains; and in this reign George Bing was mayor of Dover, and also the representative of the city in Parliament. " 4

Apart from the aforementioned Norman entry, the first mention of the name in ancient England was in 1274 when the Hundredorum Rolls listed Robert Bing as holding lands in Devon at that time and Reginald Binge was holding lands in Oxfordshire. 5 John Byng was listed in the Assize Rolls of Kent in 1317. 1

Early History of the Byng family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byng research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1574, 1652, 1654, 1663, 1666, 1672, 1712, 1733, 1739 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Byng History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byng Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Byng include Bing, Binge, Binley, Binckes, Bink, Byng, Bincks and others.

Early Notables of the Byng family

Notables of the family at this time include

George Byng Viscount Torrington (1663-1733), was a British admiral and the eldest son of John Byng, from a family who had settled for many centuries at Wrotham in Kent. "In 1666 his father, having got...
William Binckes (c.1654-1712), was an English preacher and sermon writer, Dean of Lichfield. 6 In later years, Robert Byng was smothered in the Black Hole of Calcutta in 1752

Migration of the Byng family to Ireland

Some of the Byng family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Byng migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Byng or a variant listed above:

Byng Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Byng, who landed in New England in 1769 7

Byng Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Byng, aged 45, who landed in America from Bromingham, in 1897

Byng Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Kathleen Ann Byng, aged 26, who settled in America from London, in 1903
Mabel Byng, aged 36, who landed in America from Dunmow, Essex, England, in 1910
Arthur Percy B. Byng, aged 6, who landed in America from Fairfield, England, in 1915
Edith Byng, aged 28, who settled in America from Fairfield, England, in 1915
Frederick Byng, aged 21, who immigrated to America from London, England, in 1915
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Byng migration to Australia +

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

Byng Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Benjamin Byng, (b. 1814), aged 16, English errand boy who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 11th August 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Charles H.J. Byng, aged 27, a bookbinder, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" 9
Charles Henry John Byng, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" in 1849 9
Charlotte Byng, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" in 1849 9

Byng 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:

Byng Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

W Byng, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Bolton

Contemporary Notables of the name Byng (post 1700) +

Sir John Byng (1772-1860), English general, the third son of Major George Byng of Wrotham Park, Middlesex 10
John Byng (1704-1757), English naval commander, the fourth son of George Byng, Viscount Torrington
Julian Hedworth George Byng (1862-1935), English soldier
Admiral Sir John Byng Frewen GCB (1911-1975), British Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command

The Byng 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: Tuebor
Motto Translation: I will defend.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SIR EDWARD PARRY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849SirEdwardParry.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Oct. 2019