Show ContentsFillinham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Fillinham family

The surname Fillinham was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Norman influence of English history prevailed after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. The family name was first referenced in the year 1172 when Alan of Fillingham succeeded to the estates in that county. He was probably descended from the Domesday Book tenant taken in 1086 of the lands and village of Fillingham, Anschitil from Roger de Poitou, a Norman Baron.

Early History of the Fillinham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fillinham research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1298, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Fillinham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fillinham Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Fillingham, Fillingworth, Fillesworth, Fillingley, Fillenworth, Fillenwarth, Fillingwarth, Fillinham and many more.

Early Notables of the Fillinham family

More information is included under the topic Early Fillinham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fillinham family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Fillinham name or one of its variants: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..



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