The ancestors of the bearers of the Cordinton family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in one of the various settlements called Coddington in the counties of Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, and Nottinghamshire. Thus, the surname Cordinton belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
The surname Cordinton was first found in Gloucestershire at Codrington, which dates back to at least the 12th century when it was listed as Cuderintuna and literally meant "estate associated with a man called Cuthhere" derived from the Old English personal name + ing + tun. [1] Another reference further breaks down the name Cuthhere or Cuohere as a personal name composed of the elements "cuo" meaning famous or well-known + "here," meaning army. [2]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cordinton research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1668, 1710, 1665, 1619, 1626 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Cordinton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Cordinton include Codrington, Coddrington, Codrinton, Coddrinton and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Christopher Codrington (1668-1710), British soldier, slaver, bibliophile and colonial governor who upon his death bequeathed his slave plantations to found Codrington College, St. John, Barbados. Born in the Barbados, his father, also Christopher Codrington, was captain-general of the Leeward Islands. Young Codrington was sent to England to be educated, and went to school at Enfield under Dr. Wedale. [3]
Robert Codrington (d...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cordinton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Cordinton or a variant listed above: Jonathon Coddrington who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants; Robert Codrington settled in Barbados with his wife and daughter in 1678; Lieutenant Codrington also settled in Barbados in 1679.