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![Show Contents]() Basings History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Early Origins of the Basings familyThe surname Basings was first found in Hampshire at Basing or Old Basing as it is sometimes known. This village and parish is in the union and hundred of Basingstoke. The first listing of this Saxon place name was found in 871 when it was listed as Basengum. An Anglo-Saxon tribe was known as the Basingas and some believe that is the true source of the village name as literally the place name means "settlement of the followers of a man called Basa." 1 "This place is remarkable for having been the scene of the defeat of King Ethelred I by the Danes, in 871." 2 The Battle of Basing was on the 22nd of January in 871. " At the period of the Norman survey, Hugh de Port held fifty-five lordships in the county, of which Basing was the head" 2 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands who was recorded in the Domesday Book. Salomon de Basing was Lord Mayor of London in 1217 and years later, Adam de Basing was similarly Lord Mayor of London in 1251. John Basing or Basingstoke (d. 1252), Archdeacon of Leicester, takes his name from the town of Basingstoke in Hampshire. "He seems to have been one of the earliest Englishmen who possessed a real knowledge of Greek, and was probably one of the first natives of our islands - if we except the doubtful instance of Johannes Scotus Erigena - who perfected himself in this language by a sojourn at Athens. " 3 Early History of the Basings familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Basings research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1306, 1510, 1558 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Basings History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Basings Spelling VariationsMultitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Basing, Basings, Bainges and others. Early Notables of the Basings familyMore information is included under the topic Early Basings Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Basings familyBecause of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Basings or a variant listed above: Samuel Baysinger, aged 45, who arrived at Ellis Island from Batton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1912; Emma Basinger, aged 52, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1914.
- 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
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