The lineage of the name Cottington begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they 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 Cottington 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 Cottington 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]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cottington research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1631, 1300, 1370, 1349, 1356, 1579, 1652, 1635, 1578, 1652 and 1578 are included under the topic Early Cottington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cottington has undergone many spelling variations, including Cottingham, Cotingham, Cattingham, Catingham and others.
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 Cottington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cottington were among those contributors: