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The name Wachingtume was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wachingtume family lived in Lancashire, at Washington. The name of this village derives from the Old English word wassingatun, meaning a settlement of the people of Wassa, a personal name which combines Old English elements meaning hunt and victory.
The surname Wachingtume was first found in Durham at Washington, a parish, in the union of Chesterle-Street, E. division of Chester ward. It is said that from this parish rose the stock that George Washington, the American patriot claims descent. 1 2 There is another parish named Washington in Sussex.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wachingtume research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1451, 1602, 1631, 1653, 1659, 1677, 1694, 1698 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Wachingtume 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 Washington, Washingtone and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Wessington (d. 1451), Prior of Durham, "was possibly born at, and took his name from, a village in the county of Durham, now known as Washington. " 3
Reverend Lawrence Washington (1602-1653), was an English rector, and the great-great-grandfather of George Washington.
John Washington (c. 1631-1677), an English Virginia planter and politician from...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wachingtume Notables 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 Wachingtume or a variant listed above: Richard Washington settled in Virginia in 1639; John and Lawrence Washington settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1657; Thomas Washington settled in Barbados in 1670.