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![Show Contents]() Bassinges History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
Early Origins of the Bassinges familyThe surname Bassinges 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 Bassinges familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bassinges research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1306, 1510, 1558 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Bassinges History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bassinges Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bassinges 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 Bassinges include Basing, Basings, Bainges and others. Early Notables of the Bassinges familyMore information is included under the topic Early Bassinges Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bassinges familyFaced 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 Bassinges, 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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