Hallington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Hallington is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Hallington family lived in Allington, in one of the many places so named throughout southern England. The reason for the multiple villages lies in part from the literal meaning of the place name "farmstead of the princes," from the Old English word "aetheling" + "tun." 1 There are at least three listings in the Domesday Book of 1086: Adelingetone (Lincolnshire); Adelingtone (Wiltshire); and Alintone (East Alington, Devon.) In this latter case, the place name could have derived from "farmstead associated with a man called Aella or Aelle," from the Old English personal name + "ing" + "tun." 1 Allington Castle is a stone-built moated castle in Allington, Kent that was restored in 1895 to its former full glory and is today open to the public.

Early Origins of the Hallington family

The surname Hallington was first found in Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, and Wiltshire. The ancient Barons Alington were the scions of this family name and they first settled in Horseheath, in Cambridgeshire. The first Lord of the Manor was Sir Hildebrand de Alington who was an under Marshall to William the Conqueror at Hastings. The main branch of the family became extinct but a younger son of Sir Giles Alington held the family seat at Swinhope in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. 2 It is from this branch the family ultimately descend.

Early History of the Hallington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hallington research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1410, 1416, 1429, 1433, 1436, 1439, 1446, 1459, 1500, 1586, 1610, 1641, 1642, 1648, 1659, 1680, 1681, 1682, 1685, 1691 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Hallington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hallington 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 Hallington 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 Hallington include Alington, Arlington, Allington and others.

Early Notables of the Hallington family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Alington (died 1446), Speaker of the House of Commons, MP for Cambridgeshire, 1410, 1416, 1429; William Allington of Horseheath (1400-1459), MP for Cambridgeshire, 1433, 1436, 1439; Giles Alington, Lord of Horseheath (1500-1586); William Alington, 1st Baron Alington (died 1648); Giles Alington, 2nd Baron...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hallington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hallington family to Ireland

Some of the Hallington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hallington 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 Hallington, or a variant listed above: Henry Allington who arrived in Virginia in 1652; Giles Alington, who settled in Virginia in 1626; John Allington, who came to Philadelphia in 1682; Lidia Arlington, who came to Barbados in 1682.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.