Abington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Abington family
The surname Abington 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 Abington family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abington 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 Abington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Abington Spelling Variations
Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Abington family name include Abington, Abbington, Abingdon, Abbingdon, Habington, Habbington, Habbindon, Habbingdon, Habbington and many more.
Early Notables of the Abington 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 subc...
- 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 was the eldest son of John Habington of H...
- Sir Thomas Habington or Abington (1560-1647), his brother was an English antiquarian. Both were imprisoned in the Tower for six years accused of having taken part in the Babington Plot to effect the e...
- Thomas Habington's son, William Habington (1605-1654) was an English poet, born at Hindlip Hall, Worcestershire. 4
Abington migration to the United States +
To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Abington family to immigrate North America:
Abington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- William Abington, who arrived in Maine in 1642
- William Abington, who landed in Maryland in 1642 5
- John Abington, who landed in Maryland in 1650 5
- John Abington, who landed in Maryland in 1662 5
- Richard Abington, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Abington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Abington, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
- Catherine A. Abington, who settled in Victoria, B.C. in 1862
Abington migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Abington Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Catharine A Abington, who arrived in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862
Abington migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Abington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Charles Abington, (Hanlon), (b. 1820), aged 23, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in County Mayo, Ireland for 15 years for robbery with violence, transported aboard the "Duke of Richmond" on 21st September 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1889 6
Contemporary Notables of the name Abington (post 1700) +
- William Henry "Bill" Abington (1921-2014), American politician who served in the Texas House of Representatives, representing Tarrant County, from 1949 to 1953
- Edward G. Abington Jr., American Consul General in Jerusalem (1993 to 1997)
- Frances Abington (1737-1815), born Frances Barton or Frances "Fanny" Barton, an English actress who was often billed as "Mrs Abington," she had at least two portraits done by Sir Joshua Reynolds 7
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.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duke-of-richmond
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019