Abbingto History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Abbingto family

The surname Abbingto was first found in Cambridgeshire at the Abingtons which consist of two villages: Little Abington and Great Abington; both date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 and were collectively known as Abintone at that time. 1

Abington Pigotts was established about the same time and had a similar listing in the Domesday Book. These locations are derived from the Old English personal name + "ing" + "tun," and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Abba." 2

Abington (St. Peter And St. Paul), is also a parish, in the hundred of Spelhoe, union, and S. division of the county, in Northamptonshire. Abingdon is a borough and market-town in Berkshire. According to a manuscript in the Cottonian library, in the time of the Britons, it was a city of considerable importance, and distinguished as a royal residence, to which the people resorted to assist at the great councils of the nation.

To the Saxons, it was called Scovechesham, or Sewsham; but it acquired the name of Abbendon, "the town of the abbey" in 680. After the establishment of the monastery, Offa, King of Mercia, on a visit to Abingdon, was so pleased with the area that he erected a palace there, in which he and his immediate successors, Egferth and Cenwulf, frequently lived. The monastery continued to flourish until 871, when it was destroyed by the Danes. 3

Early History of the Abbingto family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abbingto research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1418, 1447, 1497, 1553, 1560, 1586, 1605, 1647 and 1654 are included under the topic Early Abbingto History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abbingto Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Abbingto are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Abbingto include Abington, Abbington, Abingdon, Abbingdon, Habington, Habbington, Habbindon, Habbingdon, Habbington and many more.

Early Notables of the Abbingto family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Henry Abyngdon, Abingdon or Abington (ca. 1418-1497) was an English ecclesiastic and musician, thought to have been the first to receive a university degree in music. He succeeded John Bernard as subcentor of Wells on Nov. 24, 1447, and held that post till his death on Sept. 1, 1497, when he was succeeded by Robert Wydewe. Edward Habington, Abington, or Abingdon (1553?-1586), was one of the conspirators in the plot formed by Anthony Babington to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. He...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Abbingto Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Abbingto family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Abbingto, or a variant listed above: John Abingdon, who came to Maryland in 1651; Catherine A. Abington, who settled in Victoria, B.C. in 1862; William Abington, who arrived in Maine in 1642.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.