Show ContentsAglionby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Aglionby is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Aglionby family lived in the parish "of Sainte-Marie-de-la-Haie d'Aigullon, which was granted in 1213 by Philip de Vassy to Jordan, Bishop of Bayeux, on the foundation of his abbey of Mondaye. Robert d'Aigullon and his son witness a charter of Stephen, Count of Chartres, in 1100. " 1

" 'Rogerus Aculeus,' a sub-tenant in the Exon Domesday, is believed to be the ancestor of the English house, which first became of note in the reign of Coeur de Lion. One of the first on record was Manser or Manasser de Aguillon, who obtained from the King a confirmation of his land, and died before 1194, when Godfrey de St. Martin paid £100 for license to marry Constance, his widow, 'with her inheritance.' " 2

Early Origins of the Aglionby family

The surname Aglionby was first found in Cumberland where they were Lords of the Manor of Aglionby from very ancient times. They were descended from Ranulph, Earl of Carlisle, Lord of Cumberland and Carlisle, who exchanged the earldom of Chester for that of Carlisle. The Earls of Chester were previously viscounts of Bessin in the department of Calvados in Normandy. The first in Cumberland about 1150 was Walter de Aguilon.

The township of Linstock in Cumberland was home to the family in later years. "A little north-eastward of Linstock is Drawdykes Castle, originally erected with the materials of the Roman wall, which crossed its site, and partially rebuilt in the seventeenth century, by John Aglionby, Esq., recorder of Carlisle, who placed on the battlements three Roman stone busts, which yet remain: this ancient seat is now a farmhouse." 3

"Walter d'Aguilon came [to Cumberland] in the train of Earl Ranulph de Meschines, and gave his name to his dwelling-place, still called the manor of Aguilon, or Aglionby. His descendants remained till 1785, when Christopher Aglionby 'died a bachelor in the flower of his age, the last of the male line of this ancient family.' "-Hutchinson's Cumberland.

Early History of the Aglionby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Aglionby research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1286, 1520, 1536, 1583, 1587, 1603, 1610, 1642, 1643, 1705, 1715 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Aglionby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Aglionby 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 Aglionby 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 Aglionby include Aglionby, Agglionby, Acclionby, Aclionby and others.

Early Notables of the Aglionby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Edward Aglionby (1520-ca. 1587), English poet, educated at Eton, and elected to King's College, Cambridge, 1536, Justice of the Peace in Warwickshire, and wrote a genealogy of Queen Elizabeth and was...
  • John Aglionby (died ca. 1610), was an eminent divine, son of Edward Aglionby. George Aglionby (c.1603-1643) was an English royalist churchman, nominated in 1643 as Dean of Canterbury. His son was Will...


United States Aglionby migration to the United States +

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 Aglionby, or a variant listed above:

Aglionby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Will Aglionby, who settled in Georgia, no date was recorded

Contemporary Notables of the name Aglionby (post 1700) +

  • Robert Aglionby Slaney (1792-1862), British advocate of rural and economic reform, the representative of a family traditionally derived from Slany (Schlan), a small town in Bohemia, near Prague, but settled in Shropshire since the end of the sixteenth century


  1. 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)
  2. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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