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." [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.
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. [2] It is from this branch the family ultimately descend.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alington research. Another 155 words (11 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.
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.
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 Alington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Alington 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.
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 Alington or a variant listed above: