Show ContentsBingghan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bingghan reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Bingghan family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bingghan family lived at Bingham in the county of Nottinghamshire. The name of that place is derived from the Old Norse word bingr, meaning stall or manger, and the Old English word ham, meaning settlement or village. Another reference claims the family descended from "De Buisli, from Buisli or Builly, near Neûchatel, Normandy (often supposed to be of Saxon origin.)" 1 The same reference claims "Roger de Busliaco held 149 lordships in barony 1086, chiefly in York [Yorkshire] and Notts [Nottinghamshire], which were entitled the Honour of Tickhill. He also held Sutton, Somerset, from Roger de Arundel. One of his lordships was Bingham, Notts, and estate of great value and importance." 1 Whichever origin the reader chooses, there is no doubt that Norfolk was the stronghold of the family since ancient times.

Early Origins of the Bingghan family

The surname Bingghan was first found in Nottinghamshire at Bingham, a market town in the Rushcliffe borough that has existed since at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Bingheham 2 which probably meant "homestead of the family or followers of a man called Bynna" from the Old English personal name + ham. 3 "This place was possessed previously to the Conquest by two Saxon chieftains, and appears to have been anciently more extensive than at present: it had a college, or guild, in honour of St. Mary. " 4

One of the first records of the family was Simon Binham or Bynham (fl. 1335), English chronicler, a monk of the priory of Binham, Norfolk, one of the cells belonging to the abbey of St. Albans. 5

A few years later, William Binham or Bynham (fl. 1370), the English theologian, was a native of Binham in Norfolk, where there was a Benedictine priory dependent on the abbey of St. Albans. 5 One may presume that the above two people were related as they both came from the same priory, but there is no written proof.

Early History of the Bingghan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bingghan research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1090, 1246, 1300, 1528, 1573, 1584, 1599, 1606, 1607, 1615, 1625, 1639, 1645, 1654, 1658, 1659, 1662, 1668, 1673, 1682, 1689, 1692, 1714, 1723, 1890 and 1915 are included under the topic Early Bingghan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bingghan Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Bingham, Binham, Bingam, Binghame and others.

Early Notables of the Bingghan family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Richard Bingham or Byngham (1528-1599), English Governor of Connaught, the third son of Richard Bingham, of Melcombe-Bingham, Dorsetshire. "In 1584, Bingham was appointed Governor of Connaught, and knighted at Dublin Castle by Lord-Deputy Perrot on 12 July. " 5 John Bingham (1607-1689), was an English divine, born at Derby, and as he was in his eighty-second year when he died in 1689...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bingghan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Bingghan family to Ireland

Some of the Bingghan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 148 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bingghan family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Bingghan name or one of its variants: Thomas Bingham who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1673; William Bingham settled in Barbados in 1635; and John Bingham settled in Virginia in 1653..



The Bingghan Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Spes mea Christus
Motto Translation: Christ is my hope.


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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