Contents [hide]

Tonge History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Tonge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Tonge family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Yorkshire, at Tongue (Tonge). However, as a habitational name, in can also be found in Lancashire, Shropshire, and West Yorkshire as many believe the name to be a topographic name for someone who lived on a tongue of land.

Early Origins of the Tonge family

The surname Tonge was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Manningham in that shire. There does not appear to be a record of the village of Maningham at the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086 A.D. so it must be assumed that it emerged as a manor about the 12th century. About 1400 the Tongs were well established at Manningham.

Today Tonge Hall is a Grade II listed Elizabethan manor house in Tonge, Middleton, Greater Manchester, England. It is thought to have been built by the family c. 1584. Tonge is also a township, in the parish of Prestwichcum-Oldham, union of Oldham, hundred of Salford in the historical county of Lancashire. "It is probable that the family of Tonge gave name to this place, which in the 43rd of Elizabeth was possessed by a member of it named Christopher Tonge." 1

Tonge with Haulgh was home to another branch of the family from ancient times. "In the reign of John, lands were held here by Gilbert de Tonge." 1

Early History of the Tonge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tonge research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1600, 1621, 1662, 1680 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Tonge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tonge Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Tongues, Tongue, Tong, Tonge and others.

Early Notables of the Tonge family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Henry Tongue, minister of Holtby, Yorkshire; and his son, Israel Tonge (1621-1680), aka Ezerel or Ezreel Tongue, an English divine and an informer in the "Popish" plot. Born at Tickhill, near Doncaste...

Migration of the Tonge family to Ireland

Some of the Tonge 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.

Tonge migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Tonge or a variant listed above were:

Tonge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Connise Tonge, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 2

Tonge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christopher Tonge, aged 40, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Thomas Tonge, who landed in Colorado in 1883 2
Edward Tonge, aged 17, who settled in America from Bolton, in 1893
Elizabeth Tonge, aged 2, who landed in America from Bolton, in 1897

Tonge Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Edwin B Tonge, aged 7, who immigrated to the United States from Manchester, in 1901
Harold Tonge, aged 24, who landed in America from Manchester, in 1906
Marjory Tonge, aged 1, who landed in America from Manchester, in 1906
Harold Tonge, aged 22, who settled in America from Farnworth, England, in 1907
Florence Bessie Tonge, aged 27, who immigrated to America from Birmingham, England, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tonge migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tonge Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Joshua Tonge U.E. who settled in St. Mary's Bay, Digby County, Nova Scotia c. 1784 he served in the Loyalist Regiment 3

Tonge migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tonge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Tonge, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. Peter Tonge, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Tonge 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:

Tonge Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Annie Tonge, aged 27, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rangitikei" in 1884

Contemporary Notables of the name Tonge (post 1700) +

Keith Andrew Tonge (b. 1964), English retired professional footballer who played for Brentford from 1982 to 1983
William Tonge (1862-1943), English cricketer who played two matches for Gloucestershire in 1880
Philip Asheton Tonge (1897-1959), English actor, known for his roles in Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Miracle on 34th Street (1947) and Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
Dale Tonge (b. 1985), English professional footballer
Michael William Eric Tonge (b. 1983), English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Stevenage
Dame Gwendolyn Tonge DCN, OH, MBE (1923-2012), Antiguan teacher and home economics expert
Roger Tonge (1946-1981), British actor from Birmingham, known for Crossroads (1964), Crossroads: A Celebration (1971) and Detective (1964); he died at the age of 35 from heart failure
Grizelda Elizabeth Cottnam Tonge (1803-1825), Canadian pet from Nova Scotia
Winckworth Tonge (1727-1792), Irish-born, Canadian soldier, land owner and politician who represented Cumberland County from 1759 to 1760, King's County from 1765 to 1783 and Hants County from 1785 to 1792 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
Lister Tonge AKC (b. 1951), British clergyman, Dean of Monmouth since 2012
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt