Abingtone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Abingtone family

The surname Abingtone was first found in Cambridgeshire at the Abingtons which consist of two villages: Little Abington and Great Abington; both date back to the Domesday Book of 1086 and were collectively known as Abintone at that time. 1

Abington Pigotts was established about the same time and had a similar listing in the Domesday Book. These locations are derived from the Old English personal name + "ing" + "tun," and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Abba." 2

Abington (St. Peter And St. Paul), is also a parish, in the hundred of Spelhoe, union, and S. division of the county, in Northamptonshire. Abingdon is a borough and market-town in Berkshire. According to a manuscript in the Cottonian library, in the time of the Britons, it was a city of considerable importance, and distinguished as a royal residence, to which the people resorted to assist at the great councils of the nation.

To the Saxons, it was called Scovechesham, or Sewsham; but it acquired the name of Abbendon, "the town of the abbey" in 680. After the establishment of the monastery, Offa, King of Mercia, on a visit to Abingdon, was so pleased with the area that he erected a palace there, in which he and his immediate successors, Egferth and Cenwulf, frequently lived. The monastery continued to flourish until 871, when it was destroyed by the Danes. 3

Early History of the Abingtone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abingtone research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1418, 1447, 1497, 1553, 1560, 1586, 1605, 1647 and 1654 are included under the topic Early Abingtone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abingtone Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Abington, Abbington, Abingdon, Abbingdon, Habington, Habbington, Habbindon, Habbingdon, Habbington and many more.

Early Notables of the Abingtone family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Henry Abyngdon, Abingdon or Abington (ca. 1418-1497) was an English ecclesiastic and musician, thought to have been the first to receive a university degree in music. He succeeded John Bernard as subcentor of Wells on Nov. 24, 1447, and held that post till his death on Sept. 1, 1497, when he was succeeded by Robert Wydewe. Edward Habington, Abington, or Abingdon (1553?-1586), was one of the conspirators in the plot formed by Anthony Babington to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. He...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Abingtone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Abingtone family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Abingtone or a variant listed above were: John Abingdon, who came to Maryland in 1651; Catherine A. Abington, who settled in Victoria, B.C. in 1862; William Abington, who arrived in Maine in 1642.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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.