Scotland
IrelandThe chronicles of the Balingghan family suggest that their ancestors may have been Viking settlers. Their surname comes from a place name of Norse origins, from when they lived in the manor of Bellingham in Northumberland, where the family held this estate since the early Middle Ages. By trade, the family was traditionally foresters, and principally cared for the forest of Tynedale, "for tyme beyond memory". The name literally means "homestead of the dwellers at the bell-shaped hill" and is derived from the Old English words Bell+ ing + ham. [1]
The surname Balingghan was first found in Bellingham, Northumberland, where Alan of Bellingham was Lord of the manor shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. [2]
Early records show that there were perpetual feuds between Alan de Bellingham and the Charltons of Hasleyside. It seems that the Charletons were the victor as while they have a mansion near the town, the Bellinghams have pretty much disappeared from the county. Henry Bellingham of Bellingham was made Knight Banneret by King Henry VI after the battle of Wakefield.
Richard Billingham or Bullingham (fl. 1350), was a schoolman, "whose name appears on the rolls of Merton College, Oxford, between 1344 and 1350, is mentioned by Wood (Antiquities of Oxford, i. 447 seqq.) as having been concerned in a riot arising about an election to the chancellorship of the University in 1349. " [3]
Billingham Manor (or Billingham House) is a manor house in Chillerton, on the Isle of Wight that dates back to 1631.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Balingghan research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1597, 1592, 1672, 1625, 1633, 1634, 1641, 1549, 1545, 1605, 1512, 1576, 1560, 1571, 1571, 1576, 1528, 1530, 1512, 1598, 1506, 1549, 1511, 1548, 1950 and 1958 are included under the topic Early Balingghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The spellings of Scottish names dating from the medieval era often bear little resemblance to those seen today. They vary enormously because scribes in that time spelled according to their ears. Some spelling variations of the name Balingghan include Bellingham, Bellinghame, Belingham, Belinghame, Billingham and many more.
Notable amongst the family at this time was Richard Bellingham (1592?-1672), an English colonial magistrate, lawyer, and several-time Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. "He was educated for the law, and from 1625 to 8 Nov. 1633 was recorder of Boston, Lincolnshire. In 1634 he emigrated, along with his wife, to Massachusetts, and in the following year he was elected deputy governor of the colony. By a majority of six votes over John Winthrop he was, in 1641, elected governor. " [3]
Sir Edward Bellingham d. 1549), was Lord Deputy of Ireland and the oldest son of Edward Bellingham, Esq., of Erlingham...
Another 119 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Balingghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Balingghan family to IrelandSome of the Balingghan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The farms of Scottish settlers soon dotted the east coast of the colonies that would become the nations of the United States and Canada. Many of those migrants and their children went on to play important roles in the founding the great nations of North America. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Scottish name Balingghan or a variant listed above, including: Richard and William Bellingham who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1630; Robert Bellingham arrived in San Francisco, Cal. in 1850; Mary Billingham settled in Maryland in 1741.
