Gillion History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Gillion family

The surname Gillion was first found in Yorkshire at either Gilling East or Gilling West, two villages that both date back to the Domesday Book of 1086. Gilling West is thought to be older as there are records of it Saxon times as Ingetlingum. 1

Gilling Abbey, a medieval Anglo-Saxon monastery is generally thought to have been located there, but some historians believe that it was located in Gilling East. The abbey was founded by Queen Eanflæd, the wife of King Oswiu of Northumbria (c. 612-670.)

"This is a place of great antiquity, and remarkable as the scene of the murder of Oswy, King of Deira, by his host, Oswin of Bernicia; in expiation of which crime, a monastery was founded on the spot by Queen Eanfleda; but not the slightest vestige of it can now be traced. Gilling Castle, situated in a fine park on the west of the village, was built by Alan, Earl of Richmond, to repel the frequent attacks of the Saxons and Danes for the recovery of their lost estates. " 2

Again, both villages are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 but with slightly different spellings: Ghellinge (Gilling East); and Ghellinges (Gilling West.) At that time, the lands of Gilling, were held by Count Alan. Literally, the place name means "settlement of the family or followers of a man called Gythla or Getla," from the Old English personal name + "-ingas." 1

One of the first records of the name as a surname was Grim de Gilling who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Yorkshire in 1198. A few years later, Gericus de Gilling was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1208 and later, John de Gilling was listed there in 1306. 3

Early History of the Gillion family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gillion research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1354, 1662, 1712 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Gillion History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gillion Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gilling, Gillings, Jilling, Jillings, Gillions, Gillion, Gellion, Jelling, Jellings, Gillian and many more.

Early Notables of the Gillion family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Isaac Gilling (1662?-1725), English Presbyterian minister, elder son of Richard Gilling, baker, born at Stogumber, Somersetshire. "Gilling, who was a scholarly and genial divine, kept a flourishing boarding-school at Newton Abbot, and got into...
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gillion Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gillion migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gillion Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Gillion, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 4

Gillion Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William C Gillion, who arrived in DeWitt County, Illinois in 1860 4

Gillion migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gillion Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Gillion, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Nancy" in 1834
Mary Gillion, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Nancy" in 1834

Gillion 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:

Gillion Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Gillion, (b. 1853), aged 21, Scottish navvy from Lanarkshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Tweed" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1874 5

Citations +

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.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html