Vipont History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Vipont surname is of Norman origin, coming originally from a place called Vieuxpont in Calvados, France.

However another source claims that the name originated in Vieuxpont-en-Auge, near Caen in Normandy. 1

"Dam William de Vexpont" is mentioned in Wace's account of the battle of Hastings. When William Malet's shield was pierced, and his horse killed under him, "he would have been slain himself, had not the Sire de Montfort, and Dam (Dominus) William de Vez-pont come up with their strong force and bravely rescued him, though with the loss of many of their people, and mounted him on a fresh horse." It was not, however, William, according to his commentator, but "Robert, lord of Vieux-pont, who appears to have been at Hastings. In 1073 he was sent to the rescue of Jean de la Fleche. The name, afterwards written Vipont, is known in English history." He also held the seigneurie of Courville-en-Chatrain in Normandy. His English possessions are not recorded, as he was slain the year before the compilation of Domesday. 1

Early Origins of the Vipont family

The surname Vipont was first found in Devon, where there are early records of a Robert de Viezponte in the Pipe Rolls of 1159, and 1178.

At about the same time, "Robert's second son and eventual successor, William, who held Hardingstone in Northamptonshire, had a contest in 1135 "for certain Lands in Devonshire to be determined by Battle:" and in 1154 Robert de Vipont held eight knight's fees in that county of the Honour of Totness. This Robert attained a great age; for he lived for sixty-two years after the above entry in the Liber Ruber, and proved "one of the most stirring spirits of those troublesome times." 1

Early History of the Vipont family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vipont research. Another 233 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1204, 1222, 1232, 1233, 1254, 1255, 1256, 1264, 1296 and 1333 are included under the topic Early Vipont History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vipont Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Vipont, Vipond, Vipount, Vipound, Vipan and others.

Early Notables of the Vipont family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Sir Nicholas Vipont of Westmorland

Vipont migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Vipont or a variant listed above:

Vipont Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Vipont, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 2
Joseph Vipont, who settled in America in 1762

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
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)