Alington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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.
Early Origins of the Alington family
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.
Early History of the Alington family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alington 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 Alington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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.
Early Notables of the Alington 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
- Giles Alington, Lord of Horseheath (1500-1586)
- William Alington, 1st Baron Alington (died 1648)
- Giles Alington, 2nd Baron Alington (died 1659)
- Major General William Alington, 3rd Baron Alington, 1st Baron Alington (1641- 1685), Constable of the Tower, Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets (1681-1685)
- Giles Alington, 4th Baron Alington, 2nd Baron Alington (1680-1691)
- Hildebrand Alington, 5th Baron Alington of Killard (1641-1723)
Migration of the Alington family to Ireland
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.
Alington migration to the United States +
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:
Alington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Giles Alington, who landed in Virginia in 1626 3
- John Alington, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 3
Alington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Albert S. Alington, aged 19, who immigrated 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 migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Alington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- William Herbert Alington, who settled in New Zealand aboard the 'Matoaka' in 1860
- Mr. Alington, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 4
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
- William Hildebrand "Bill" Alington (1929-2024), New Zealand Modernist architect, whose work has been awarded nationally, and recognized internationally
- Elizabeth Alington (1909-1990), wife of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Alec Douglas-Home
- Margaret Alington (b. 1920), New Zealand historian whose work has contributed much to the knowledge of architectural history
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.
- 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)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html