Ailington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Ailington family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They 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 Ailington family

The surname Ailington 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 Ailington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ailington 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 Ailington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ailington 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 Alington, Arlington, Allington and others.

Early Notables of the Ailington 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 Ailington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ailington family to Ireland

Some of the Ailington 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 Ailington 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 Ailington or a variant listed above were: 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.