Digginson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Digginson is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of the Britain and comes from the personal name Richard. Dicca (in the modern form, Dick) is a diminutive of the name Richard. When the son suffix is added to the root, the name literally means son of Richard. 1 "Richard was commonly called Dick, and his sons, were styled 'Dickson' and 'Dickieson.' " 2

Early Origins of the Digginson family

The surname Digginson was first found in Lancashire at Wrightington, a township, in the parish of Eccleston, union of Wigan, hundred of Leyland. "Robert Dicconson, of Eccleston, married Anne, daughter of John Wrightington, and was grandfather of William, who was convicted of high treason in the reign of William III. The Dicconsons held the property until 1812, when Capt. Edward Dicconson died without issue, and was succeeded by a nephew, Thomas Eccleston, of Eccleston and Scarisbrick. His son Charles, on succeeding to this estate, assumed the name of Dicconson." 3

Welsh Whitte, again in Lancashire was another estate of the same family. It was originally known as Walsewythull and Walshwittell. "In 1707 it was forfeited by the treason of William Dickenson, then owner, but, owing to legal technicality, the manor was not seized by the crown; and the Dicconsons, his descendants, have since been the principal proprietors." 3

Early History of the Digginson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Digginson research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1366, 1388, 1594, 1624, 1659, 1663, 1670, 1696, 1700, 1707, 1712, 1713, 1717, 1719, 1722, 1741, 1752 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Digginson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Digginson Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Digginson has been spelled many different ways, including Dickieson, Dickinson, Dickeson, Dickenson and others.

Early Notables of the Digginson family

Notables of the family at this time include John Dickenson (fl. 1594), English romance-writer of unknown origin. 4 Jonathan Dickinson (1663-1722) was a Quaker merchant from Port Royal, Jamaica who was shipwrecked on the southeast coast of Florida in 1696, along with his family and the other passengers and crew members of the ship. He twice served as Mayor of Philadelphia, in 1712-1713 and 1717-1719. His journal was reprinted sixteen times in English, and three times each in Dutch and German translations, between...
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Digginson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Digginson family to Ireland

Some of the Digginson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Digginson migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Digginsons to arrive in North America:

Digginson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ralphe Digginson, who landed in Virginia in 1622 5

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)