Show ContentsCottinton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Cottinton Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Cottinton

What does the name Cottinton mean?

Cottinton is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Codrington, Gloucestershire, 1 2 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. 3 Thus, the surname Cottinton 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 Cottinton family

The surname Cottinton was first found in Gloucestershire at Codrington, today a hamlet, formerly in the civil parish of Wapley-cum-Codrington in the hundred of Grumbald's Ash. It is now in Dodington parish. 4

Anciently, known as Gotherington, the family can trace back to "Roger de Cantilupe, living 1201, [who] had possessions in Wapley and Gotherington; and with his son Roger made grants there to St. Augustine's Abbey, Bristol. The abbey made further purchases there from Richard, son of the above Roger. It appears that this family remained at Gotherington or Codrington, which name they bore. Geoffry de Cotherington was living here t. Edward III. He was probably grandson of Richard de Cantilupe of this place." 5

The Codrington baronetcy, of Dodington in the County of Gloucester, was created in the Baronetage of Great Britain on 21 April 1721 for William Codrington, a British landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1737 to 1738.

He is a descendant of Colonel Christopher Codrington (c.1640-1698), a Barbadian-born planter and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Leeward Islands from 1689 to 1699. His father (d. 1656) was a Royalist who had arrived in Barbados around 1640, married and made a small fortune. The colonel and other men of Barbados bought the island of Saint Lucia from native chiefs in 1663.

Early History of the Cottinton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cottinton research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1619, 1626, 1665, 1668, 1691, 1710, 1770 and 1851 are included under the topic Early Cottinton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cottinton 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 Cottinton family name include Codrington, Coddrington, Codrinton, Coddrinton and others.

Early Notables of the Cottinton family

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. 6 Robert Codrington (d. 1665), was an English author, born 'of an...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cottinton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cottinton 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 Cottinton surname or a spelling variation of the name include: 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.

The Cottinton 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: Immersabillis est vera virtus
Motto Translation: True virtue cannot be conquered.
  1. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  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. 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)
  6. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print

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