Locking History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Locking is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Locking family lived in Lockington, a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

However another noted source claims the name was derived from "Robert de Louinton [who] held in Dorset and Somerset in 1189-90 (Pipe Rolls): and Roger de Lokinton, [who] in 1246, witnesses Henry II.'s charter to Ivychurch Priory. Robert and William de Lokinton, and William's daughter Margery, occur in Yorkshire about 1272." 1

This source continues: "In Cumberland they held the Barony of Burgh-upon-Sands, which Richard, the son of Adam de Levinton, inherited in 1229. He died in 1249, childless; and was succeeded by his brother Ralph, who had already considerable possessions, for his wife Ada, one of the two daughters and co-heirs of Joan de Morville, became, by the death of her sister Helewise de Vernon, eventually the sole heiress." 1

Early Origins of the Locking family

The surname Locking was first found in East Yorkshire at Lockington, a small village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Locheton. 2 The place name literally means "estate associated with a man called Loca." 3

Alternatively, the first element could have been derived from the Old English word "locing" which meant "enclosure." 3

Lockington is also a village in the Leicestershire parish of Lockington cum Hemington about seven miles from Loughborough. 4 This latter village is home to Lockington Hall is a 17th-century country house. The two manors of Lockington (Nether Hall and Over Hall) were anciently held by the Abbot and Convent of Leicester but both were sold after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. As of 1973, the hall was converted for use as offices.

Locking Castle was a castle that once stood on CarBerry Hill near the site of RAF Locking in Locking in the North Somerset district of Somerset, England. Little is known about the origin of the castle, other than in 1214 Locking was given to Woodspring Priory.

Early History of the Locking family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Locking research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1272, 1273, 1307 and 1648 are included under the topic Early Locking History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Locking Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Lockton, Lokton, Lockston, Loxton, Loketon, Locktone, Lockten and many more.

Early Notables of the Locking family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Lockington, son of Richard Lockington who was baptized in 1648 at St...
Thirty years later, Thomas Ladd and Amy Lockington were married in Canterbury...

Migration of the Locking family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Locking or a variant listed above: John Lockton, who was recorded in Barbados in 1678; William Logsden, who received a land patent in Maryland in 1673; John Lockton, who was naturalized in Detroit in 1853..

Contemporary Notables of the name Locking (post 1700) +

Brian "Licorice" Locking (1938-2020), English musician, songwriter and bass guitarist with The Shadows, between 1962 and 1963
Norman Wesley "Norm" Locking (1911-1995), Canadian National Hockey League left winger from Owen Sound, Ontario, who played 52 games with the Chicago Black Hawks

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)