Alington Surname, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Alington is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Alington 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." 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." 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.

Alington Early Origins

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The surname Alington 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. It is from this branch the family ultimately descend.

Alington 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 Alington, Arlington, Allington and others.

Alington Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alington research. Another 309 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1682, 1446, 1410, 1416, 1429, 1400, 1459, 1433, 1436, 1439, 1500, 1586, 1648, 1659, 1641, 1685, 1681, 1685, 1680, 1691, 1641, 1723, 1680, 1691, 1610, 1648, 1642, 1641, 1659, 1641, 1685, 1681, 1685, 1681 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Alington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alington Early Notables (pre 1700)

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...

Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Alington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alington In Ireland

Some of the Alington family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Great Migration

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 Atlanti c. 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 Alington or a variant listed above:

Alington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Giles Alington, who settled in Virginia in 1626
Giles Alington, who landed in Virginia in 1626
John Alington, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682

Alington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Albert S. Alington, aged 19, who emigrated to the United States, in 1894

Alington Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mary Evelyn Alington, aged 44, who landed in America from Birmingham, England, in 1920
Napier G. H. Alington, aged 24, who settled in America from London, England, in 1921

Alington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Herbert Alington came to New Zealand aboard the 'Matoaka' in 1860

Contemporary Notables of the name Alington (post 1700)

Giles Alington (1914-1956), English Fellow of University College, Oxford from 1944 to 1956
Cyril Argentine Alington (1872-1955), English educationalist, scholar, cleric, and author
Henry Giles Alington (1837-1928), Lord Alington of Wymondley, English Cricket player with the Oxford University team
Elizabeth Alington (1909-1990), wife of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Alec Douglas-Home
William Hildebrand "Bill" Alington (b. 1929), New Zealand Modernist architect, whose work has been awarded nationally, and recognized internationally
Margaret Alington (b. 1920), New Zealand historian whose work has contributed much to the knowledge of architectural history

Alington Family Crest Products

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.

Other References

Humble, Richard. The Fall of Saxon England. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-88029-987-8).
Bardsley, C.W. A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6).
Bolton, Charles Knowles. Bolton's American Armory. Baltimore: Heraldic Book Company, 1964. Print.
Burke, John Bernard Ed. The Roll of Battle Abbey. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Galveston Texas 1896-1951. National Archives Washington DC. Print.
Bowman, George Ernest. The Mayflower Reader A Selection of Articales from The Mayflower Descendent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Lennard, Reginald. Rural England 1086-1135 A Study of Social and Agrarian Conditions. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1959. Print.
Chadwick, Nora Kershaw and J.X.W.P Corcoran. The Celts. London: Penguin, 1790. Print. (ISBN 0140212116).
Browning, Charles H. Americans of Royal Descent. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print.
Samuelsen, W. David. New York City Passenger List Manifests Index 1820 - 1824. North Salt Lake, Utah: Accelerated Indexing Systems International, 1986. Print.
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The Alington Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Alington Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 6 May 2016 at 08:38.