The name Ballin was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Ballin family lived in Cornwall. The family originated from the region around the fortress of Balon near Le Mans in France, and the name was carried to England by Hamelin de Balon during the Norman Conquest of England. [1]
The surname Ballin was first found in Cornwall, where they held a family seat from the 11th century. The family originated from the region around the fortress of Balon near Le Mans in France and the name was carried to England by Hamelin de Balon during the conquest.
John de Baalun or Balun (d. 1235), was justice itinerant, "a Baron who possessed estates in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Wiltshire, and was descended from one Hameline de Baalun, who came over with the Conqueror, built the castle of Abergavenny, and died in 1089. His father was Reginald de Balun, and in 1207 John de Balun paid a fine for the lands of Hameline, on behalf of his father, to Geoffrey Fitz-Ace and Agnes, his wife. In 12 John (1210-1211) Balun accompanied the king to Ireland, but at the end of John's reign lost his lands for taking part in the barons' attack upon the king. " [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ballin research. Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1090, 1224, 1273, 1275, 1297, 1327, 1327 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Ballin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Ballin are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Ballin include Balleine, Ballin, Ballon, Balon, Balun, Baalun, Ballom, Balin, Ballen and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Ballin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Ballin, or a variant listed above: