Show ContentsLockington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Lockington is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Lockington 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 Lockington family

The surname Lockington 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 Lockington family

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

Lockington 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 Lockington 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...


United States Lockington migration to the United States +

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 Lockington or a variant listed above:

Lockington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Elmor Lockington, who landed in Virginia in 1654 [5]
Lockington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Lockington, aged 29, who arrived in America, in 1893
  • A. H. Lockington, aged 19, who arrived in America, in 1894
  • Barney Lockington, aged 17, who arrived in America, in 1897
  • Mrs. Wm. Lockington, aged 65, who arrived in America, in 1897
Lockington Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • William Henry Lockington, aged 45, who arrived in America from Cootehill, Ireland, in 1913
  • William Joseph Lockington, aged 43, who arrived in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1913
  • George Surntoni Lockington, aged 26, who arrived in America from Sydney, Australia, in 1914

New Zealand Lockington 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:

Lockington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Lockington, Irish settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 [6]
  • Mrs. Margaret Lockington, (b. 1828), aged 19, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 [6]
  • Mr. George Lockington, (b. 1840), aged 7, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 [6]
  • Miss Jane Lockington, (b. 1844), aged 3, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847, she died on board [6]
  • Mr. Samuel Lockington, (b. 1847), aged Infant, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lockington (post 1700) +

  • David Lockington (b. 1956), American music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony
  • William Neale Lockington (1840-1902), English zoologist, curator of the California Academy of Sciences museum (1875-1881)
  • Andrew Lockington, Canadian film score composer, awarded the Breakout Composer of the Year Award in 2009
  • Sir Lionel Lockington Harty (1864-1939), 4th Baronet of Prospect House in Roebuck in the County of Dublin
  • Sir Henry Lockington Harty (1826-1913), 3rd Baronet of Prospect House in Roebuck in the County of Dublin


  1. 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
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  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)
  5. 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)
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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