Inkpin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The lineage of the name Inkpin begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the region of Inkpen near Hungerford in Berkshire. Inkpin is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Inkpin family

The surname Inkpin was first found in West Berkshire at Inkpen, a village and civil parish that dates back to Saxon times when the village was named Ingepenne c. 935. 1 By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the village's name was Hingepene 2 and was literally derived from the Old English words "ing" (meaning hill or peak) and the Celtic or Old English word "penn" (meaning hill or enclosure.) 1

The manor of Pillaton in Cornwall which in Doomsday Survey is called Pileton, belonged to the Earl of Moreton at that time. This manor, about the reign of Edward I. was in the family of Inkpen. "It was afterwards the property of John Charles, Esq. of whose heiress this manor and that of Hardenfast were purchased by Thomas Moone, Esq. about 1620." 3

Early History of the Inkpin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Inkpin research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1217 and 1301 are included under the topic Early Inkpin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Inkpin Spelling Variations

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 Inkpin has undergone many spelling variations, including Inkpen, Inkpin, Ingpen and others.

Early Notables of the Inkpin family

More information is included under the topic Early Inkpin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Inkpin family to Ireland

Some of the Inkpin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Inkpin family

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 Inkpin were among those contributors: John Inkpen, who settled in New England in 1756.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print