Codingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Codingham is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Codingham family once lived in either of two places called Cottingham. One was a parish near Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and the other is a parish located two miles from Rockingham in the county of Northampton. Thus, the surname Codingham belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Codingham family

The surname Codingham was first found in Yorkshire at Cottingham, a village and civil parish in the East Riding which dates back to the Domesday Book when it was listed as Cotingeham. "This place is of considerable antiquity, and was known as of some importance when Domesday Book was compiled. Leland, in his Collectanea, states that William d'Estoteville or Stuteville, Sheriff of Yorkshire, entertained King John here, and obtained from that monarch, in the year 1200, permission to hold a market and fair, and to embattle and fortify his residence." 1

The place name literally means "homestead of the family or followers of a man called Cott or Cotta" derived from the Old English personal name + inga + ham. 2

Baynard Castle, sometimes named "castle at Cottingham" or "Stuteville's castle" was a moated castle built in the 12th and 13th centuries in the village. Sarum Manor is located in the southern half of the ruins of castle. The Northamptonshire Cottingham was similarly listed with the same spelling in the Domesday Book. 3

"A massive ring of pure gold was found in 1841, on the borders of Rockingham Forest, apparently of great antiquity, and in good preservation; it is inscribed in Saxon characters with legends supposed to be of talismanic character, and was probably worn as an amulet." 1

One of the first records of the name was Robertus de Cotyngham who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

Early History of the Codingham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Codingham research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1349, 1350, 1356, 1370, 1578, 1579, 1631, 1635 and 1652 are included under the topic Early Codingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Codingham Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Codingham family name include Cottingham, Cotingham, Cattingham, Catingham and others.

Early Notables of the Codingham family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas de Cottingham (c. 1300-1370), an English cleric and judge ho toook his name from his birth place at Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, Keeper of the Great Seal in 1349 and Master of the Rolls in Ireland in 1356; Francis Cottington, 1st Baron Cottington (ca...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Codingham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Codingham family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Codingham surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Catherine Cottingham, who arrived in Jamaica in 1679; Samuel Cottingham arrived in Philadelphia in 1856; Septimus, Thomas, and Edward, Cottingham, all arrived in Philadelphia in 1870..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)