Show ContentsGorringe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the Gorringe family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in the places named Goring in Oxfordshire and Sussex. The place-name was originally derived from the Old English word Garingas, which means people of Gara. This name is a short form of various compound names with the first portion gar, which means spear.

Early Origins of the Gorringe family

The surname Gorringe was first found in Sussex at Goring, where at the time of the Domesday Book was part of the earldom of Arundel. [1] "The name is derived from Goring, in the rape [sub-division] of Arundel, where the family can be traced to John de Goring, living in the reign of Edward II. " [2]

So as to underscore the Sussex origin, another authority notes the name is from "a parish in Sussex where the ancestors of the baronet's family wore resident at an early period. John de Goring was lord before temp. Edward II." [3]

And another source wrote "Hugh Bygod was Lord of Garringes or Goring, Sussex, 13th cent. He was executor of the will of the Countess of Norfolk, 1248. John de Garringes, his son, had a daughter and heir, who married Henry Tregoz, M.P. for Sussex 1309. The bailsman of Henry T. was John Goring, probably nephew of John de Goring or Garringes. From the latter descended the family of De Goring, afterwards Lords Goring, Earls of Norwich, so distinguished in the Civil Wars 17th century, and the Baronets Goring. This family appears to be a younger branch of the Bygods Earls of Norfolk." [4]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Priorissa de Goringe Oxfordshire; and Philip Goring, Wiltshire. [5]

"The Oxfordshire Goring occurs as Goringe in the 13th cent." [6]

Early History of the Gorringe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gorringe research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1608, 1615, 1621, 1622, 1628, 1629, 1632, 1646, 1657, 1658, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1671, 1673, 1678, 1679, 1685, 1702 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Gorringe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gorringe Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Gorringe were recorded, including Goring, Gorring, Goringe, Gorringe, Goreing and many more.

Early Notables of the Gorringe family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich (1585-1663), an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1628; Charles Goring, 2nd Earl of Norwich (1615-1671), an English soldier and aristocrat; George Goring, Lord Goring (1608-1657), an English Royalist soldier; Sir William Goring (died 1658), the son of Sir...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gorringe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand Gorringe migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gorringe Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Gorringe, (b. 1839), aged 36, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 [7]
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Gorringe, (b. 1839), aged 36, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Gorringe (post 1700) +

  • Henry Honychurch Gorringe (1841-1885), American naval officer, best known for successfully removing Cleopatra's needle from Alexandria, Egypt and re-erecting it in Central Park, New York City
  • Allan Lindsay Gorringe (1884-1918), English cricketer
  • Hubert Maurice Gorringe (1886-1958), English cricketer
  • Captain Frank Clifford Gorringe (b. 1889), English World War I flying ace credited with 14 aerial victories
  • The Reverend Professor Timothy Jervis Gorringe (b. 1946), English St Luke's Professor of Theological Studies in the University of Exeter
  • Lieutenant General Sir George Frederick Gorringe KCB, KCMG, DSO (1868-1945), English Field Commander in the British Army during the Anglo-Boer War, World War I, on the Palestine and Western Fronts
  • Horace Charles "Horrie" Gorringe (1895-1994), Tasmanian-born, Australian rules football player, inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2011


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. 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)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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